


The Violent Tide

by Rae_Kid



Category: Naruto
Genre: ALL the orphans, Adorable, Child Abuse, FAKING DEATHS, Families of Choice, Fuinjutsu, Jiraiya gets an apprentice, Nagato saved, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Insert, Sibling Relationship, Sibling Rivalry, Uzushio, Uzushio clans, Yamato saved, adopts the orphans, but only as much as in canon don't worry, character saving, clever use of summons, eventually anyway, faking amnesia, little-kid antics, maybe a little bit angsty, mental support for everyone, saves Obito, saving everyone she can, seriously a LOT of orphans, until she slaps it out of Obito, wanders the nations looking for key characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-03-29 07:43:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 57,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3888028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rae_Kid/pseuds/Rae_Kid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Uzushio fell, but she will not die. Not when there's a redhead wandering the land with all the knowledge of Uzushio- and the plot- in her head, determined to save her village's legacy and everyone she can. Starting with a certain kind-hearted, terminally late Uchiha she takes on as an apprentice with the potential to be one of the greatest shinobi in the world.</p><p>From Obito's POV, for the most part.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Introduction to Crazy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Deshah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deshah/gifts).



The first thing Obito realized when he woke up was that he was still alive. This, understandably, confused him as the last thing he could remember was being crushed by some pretty impressive boulders. The second thing he realized was that he was covered in bandages and not bound or restricted in any way, which brought him to the conclusion that he'd somehow lived long enough for reinforcements to come to retrieve his dead body and find him alive.

When he managed to fight off the numbness of the high-quality drugs he was on- only the best for him, after all, since he's just that awesome- enough to open his eyes- eye, god damn it that's going to get annoying- however, he wasn't greeted by the stark white and much hated ceiling of the hospital but the cool grey of a doton-made cave. This perturbed him for a second, but then he reasoned that perhaps he was in such bad condition they couldn't move him, which was understandable even if the thought of being in a cave made him… uncomfortable.

The woman's voice scrapped that theory. "Ah, so you're awake." He turned his head, wincing in pain as it pulled at his side, to see a completely unfamiliar woman with no hitai-ate in sight. This understandably worries him.

"W-who?" he croaks out in what was supposed to be a cool, composed voice but ended up sounding more like a breathless whimper.

"An ally. Or recruiter, you might say…" she trailed off thoughtfully, staring down at the mortar and pestle she was using to grind some pungent smelling herbs in her lap, oblivious to his sudden alarm.

"Iwa." he growled, realizing how much pain he was going to be in soon. It would be all too easy to interrogate him when they don't even have to hurt him. All they'd really need to do was leave him alone for a day or so and he'd be begging for painkillers. "I will never turn traitor! I will never betray Konoha!"

To his astonishment, she rolled her eyes. "I'm not asking you to. In fact, what I have in mind might very well save Konoha, if all goes according to plan."

Like he hasn't heard that line before. The whole, 'your village is rotten, you'd be saving it if you helped us' BS was textbook persuasion tactics. So old-school even Obito- admittedly not so great at textbook stuff- knew about it. "I will never help you overthrow Konoha, so you can shove your brainwashing speech where the sun don't shine!"

At this she actually laughs. "That's funny coming from _you_. Geeze, where was this common sense the first time around?"

What did she mean 'the first time around'? What the heck? Was he captured by a crazy woman? "Huh? What are you talking about?"

She waved a hand dismissively with an amused smile. "Never mind, never mind. Not relevant. No, I'm serious kid, I'm not trying to brainwash you. Honestly I wasn't even going to offer, but I thought I'd give you a chance. You are pretty powerful after all, and god knows we'll need all the help we can get in the shitstorm that's going to do down."

Definitely crazy. He's super awesome and everything, but Obito's honest enough with himself to know he wouldn't be valuable to whatever delusional plan she has cooked up. He's just a chunin, and barely at that, and he only has _one_ Sharingan that he awakened late in life, so chances are it'll be weak and useless. He'd play along, though, and get as much out of her as he can while he works on how he can escape when he's well enough. "What's going to happen?"

"Oh, just the death of one of your teammates, the attack of the Kyuubi, your sensei and his wife dying to seal it into his kid, the massacre of your clan and the end of the world orchestrated by the last remaining member and your two hundred or so year old ancestor." she answer nonchalantly, reaching over to grab a huge medical tome off the doton-made rock ledge she was using as a table.

Crap, so she knows he's an Uchiha. And possibly about his team and sensei. Not that it was a secret or anything- Minato-sensei is going to be Hokage soon, they're kind of famous- but he'd really hoped she just randomly stumbled across him and decided to recruit him. Still, what an utterly insane story. How is anyone supposed to believe that?

"You don't believe me." she intoned when he failed to come up with something to say. "I don't blame you, really. This world is so incredibly messed up. Seriously, how does stuff like that even happen?"

"Ah- no! Of course I believe you! Sign me up!" Wow, he really sucked at acting.

"Wow, you really suck at acting." she agreed, pouring water into the mixture she was grinding before. "It's all true , though. I can see the future."

"Really."

She scowled at him. "Yes, really. Well, more like _a_ future, actually, and now that I've saved you things are going to start changing, but you're just too big a threat to let things go on like they would have."

He couldn't restrain a snort at that. "Me, a threat? I'm just a chunin. As if. If you really can see the future you'd know I'm not worth the effort you're going through to heal me."

She actually gave him a pitying expression at that, coming over to the bed with a foul-looking concoction he had the sinking suspicion was for him, bendy straw and all. "You really don't have a very high opinion of yourself, kid. Guess you had a mask too, huh? Naruto's not the only one hiding self-esteem issues behind a smile. Open wide!"

She knows someone named Naruto? Who names their kid after a ramen topping? That's like asking people to make fun of him. Sounds like something sensei's girlfriend would do, actually. He shuddered, and not solely because of the taste-bud killing garbage-flavored _fluid_ she just forced him to drink.

"Your Sharingan's special, kid. You have the potential to be one of the strongest shinobi alive in a decade or so." She grabbed another glass- this one full of orange juice- and held the straw to his lips while he sipped it down, grateful to get the taste out of his mouth. After it was empty and she set it back down on the table she turned to him with a dead serious look on her face and said, "I don't expect you to believe me kid, which is why I'm going to prove it. In one month's time- around when you'll be up and moving- some Iwa shinobi are going to infiltrate Konoha and attempt to abduct Rin to turn her into a jinchuriki. Kakashi will follow and rescue her, but on trying to get back to the village they'll be cut off by reinforcements and Rin will ask Kakashi to kill her. He will send a Chidori through her chest."

He choked at the mental image, all too easy to see after how many times he's watched Kakashi pulverize the heart and lungs of enemy-nin, cauterizing the wound as it kills so there's no blood beyond the initial shock. He didn't believe her- there was no way she could see the future- but he found himself worried anyway. What if… what if she's telling the truth?

No. No way. Nobody can see the future. No way would Kakashi kill Rin. He might be a cold blooded bastard, but he was _crying_ when Obito gave him his eye- something he's going to tease him mercilessly about, when he gets home- there's no way he'd ever hurt Rin. He promised. It's Kakashi after all, as much as he hates the bastard's holier-than-thou attitude there's no way he'd ever be beaten so easily. Kakashi never fails at _anything_. (Well, anything shinobi related, anyway. He's so emotionally constipated it's almost not even funny anymore.)

She caught the half-horrified, half disbelieving look on his face and patted his good arm reassuringly. "Don't worry kid, I'm not going to let it happen. I've been planning this out for twenty years. No way in hell am I going to let Kakashi end up alone and as messed up as he was originally going to be. He deserves better than that. Now, go to sleep. Don't think I can't see how you're forcing yourself to stay awake, it isn't good for you."

As if her voice was the trigger, a sudden wave of exhaustion crashed over him, crumbling what willpower was keeping him awake. "Y-you… put something in that… medicine…"

She smiled him cheerfully. "No, actually. I put it in the orange juice. We need to get your ability to detect poisons and drugs up to par, kid. Good night."

 

 

'It's true. It's all true!' was all he could think, chasing after the red-haired figure leaping leisurely from tree to tree while he struggled to keep up.

He'd only been out of bed for a week, a week they'd spent spying on Rin-chan. The woman- Shuurei, she said, though she refused to give her last name- knew the day it'd happen and even the place, but she wanted to keep tabs on her the whole week before just in case the butterfly effect managed to influence major events already. It'd killed him to see her and say nothing, to watch _Kakashi_ of all people moping around and stalking the Memorial Stone. Though after what Shuurei told him of the bastard's life it wasn't all that surprising.

She'd put a seal on him that prevented him from disobeying her, paralyzing him whenever he was about to act on his desires. She'd been all apologetic and slightly guilty but told him that it just wasn't worth the risk. Why didn't anyone ever tell him fuinjutsu could be so cool? If he'd known it was more than just hiding away kunai and making things explode he'd have tried to learn it ages ago! As it was he'd pestered her for an hour straight before she agreed to teach him when they had the opportunity.

He'd actually started to forget she was a crazy woman because aside from her matter of fact attitude about what she insisted was the future she was fairly normal. A little jaded, a bit sarcastic, but surprisingly friendly despite it all. She never laughed when he asked a question or looked disappointed when he messed up and she always took the time to patiently explain things and never got frustrated when she had to go over it again and again. He was actually starting to like Shuurei, and that… scared him.

Obito's always been good at reading people, or at least at knowing when they're telling the truth. At their first meeting Obito had been too distracted by her obvious insanity to really get a good read on her, but as he got to know her a little better- as infuriatingly mysterious as she insists on being- he started to realize that she's not the kind of person to lie about stuff like that, and it scared him. Because if she isn't lying, and she isn't insane- he hadn't seen any signs of it beyond her whole 'I can see the future' shpeal- then she's telling the truth, and the whole world is depending on _him_ , the dead-last Uchiha failure with only one eye.

And because if it's true, he might just lose his only friends.

It happened just like she said it would. Rin captured- why is it always Rin?- Kakashi chases after her, and he's so hell bent on getting her back that he doesn't notice the contingent of Iwa-nin left behind to take out any followers. He's so frantic that they fall behind, leaving him just enough time to save Rin and kill her captors before they once again step into his sensory range. They stop in the same clearing Shuurei showed him just two days before, and Rin asks Kakashi to kill her. Tells him to save her from the fate of becoming nothing but a mindless weapon to destroy the home that she loves, and he refuses. He's promised, he shouts at her. He promised Obito he'd protect her. He wasn't going to lose anyone else.

She smiles, so, incredibly sad, and Kakashi doesn't see, because an Iwa-nin just burst into the clearing and Kakashi's charging at him desperately, Chidori shrieking. It's a powerful move with impressive speed but he doesn't expect it to match up to a jounin, it's not quite there yet, so he's surprised when the attacker makes no move to dodge it and it hits him straight on. There's a moment of surprised satisfaction, but then the Iwa-nin coughs up blood and the air shimmers, revealing his hand shoved through Rin's chest.

And Obito can't breathe, can't work up the energy to scream, because he couldn't move. He couldn't stop it because Shuurei, that cruel, horrible woman, ordered him not to interfere and the damn seal burning like a brand just above his heart paralyzed him and forced him to watch while Rin died, the light draining out of her beautiful brown eyes…

A red blur streaks by him but he doesn't care, doesn't see. All he can concentrate on is the pain inside him, burning like acid clawing it way out of his chest. A raging, impotent fire with nowhere to go that migrates upwards to pool behind his eyes, and he screams. He screams Rin's name with such force he tastes blood and feels it trickle down the back of his throat and another voice mirrors him somewhere nearby. When it's gone, when the fire is banked and cools to an icy rage and settles into the weight of grief, he feels a pulse of chakra nearby and forces his eyes to open, blearily trying to make out the hazy figures in the clearing below that are moving now. Blinking away the tears he focuses and the world comes _alive_.

It's like the difference between regular sight and the Sharingan, times two hundred. It's like reality in surround-sound and Technicolor. His vision is so acute he can count the hairs on an individual leaf hundreds of yards away. He can almost see the air currents and the wisps of blue chakra they carried away from the battle in front of him.

He can also see the rise and fall of Rin's completely unblemished chest as she lays unconscious on the ground, a full foot away from the direction Kakashi was aiming.

She's alive. Rin is alive! How is she still alive?!

She's also unconscious and there's an Iwa-nin coming after her with a sword.

In seconds he's on his feet and going after the fucker who dared to try to hurt his precious people. He didn't think, he was beyond conscious thought at this point. He simply reacted, downing him with a kunai to the throat before he could even react. Another three come rushing at him and where are they all coming from? But it doesn't matter because they're dead, them and five other assailants because they couldn't react, couldn't keep up with his speed and since when was he this fast? One of them throws rock spikes at him shooting out of the ground but he sees them like they're moving in slow motion, it's almost easy to dodge. He's pretty sure he could snatch the kunai coming at him right out of the air, and in fact- he does. They end up buried in a kunoichi's gut and she's down, staggering into one of her comrades and tripping him enough to send him off balance, and he uses the opportunity to take him out and when he's down it takes him a few seconds to register that there's no one else coming for him. He falls to his knees, panting from the exertion but he senses movement going towards his unconscious comrades behind him and he's up again in an instant, crouching over their bodies in a defensive stance, Sharingan blazing to see…

Shuurei, crouching down to pick up a scroll that'd been draped over their bodies, covered in seals.

"It's just me, Obito."

He doesn't move, his lip curling upwards in an angry snarl. "What did you do? How is she still alive?"

Slowly she straightened up and backed away, hands open and visible to show she had no intentions of attacking. "I'm sorry, Obito, but it had to happen this way. She was never in any danger but you had to think she was dead to activate your Mangekyou, you and Kakashi both." She motioned to the edges of the clearing, where his Sharingan could now pick up the faint outlines of several very well concealed scrolls covered in complicated seals. "Illusion seals, difficult to create but much harder to pick up on than a genjutsu. When Kakashi started up his Chidori I activated a sleeping seal I put on her clothes earlier this week to knock her out of the range of his Chidori and activated the illusion seals so both you and Kakashi believed he'd killed her."

"Why? Why would you do that?! Do you know how much it hurt to think-"

The look on her face stopped his questions- and his outrage- cold. The light in her eyes dimmed and the color darkened from a vibrant leaf green to a cloudy evergreen, her skin turned several shades paler, and her expression just seemed… dead. Despondent. A depth of misery he'd only just barely touched seconds ago, deep rooted and fully matured. She reminded him of war veterans, and with a start he realized that she probably was.

"Have you ever heard of Uzushio, Obito? The Village of Longevity, Konoha's sister village, destroyed in the war. That was my home, and I watched it burn. I watched invaders kill my people- my family- and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I know better than anyone what that feels like and believe me when I say I wouldn't wish that on anyone, but lives are riding on this. We _need_ your Mangekyou, _they_ need your Mangekyou, and this was the safest, easiest way to activate it. If there were any other way I would've taken it in a heartbeat, but if an illusion and a few moments of grief give you the power to make sure no one ever watches their home burn and their family die, then I'm not going to hesitate."

Her eyes, her conviction, the fact that she knew this was going to happen… "This is real, isn't it? You really can…"

"…Yeah."

And then she was fighting the instinct to attack him when he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Thank you." he breathed, face mashed against her side. "Thank you. You saved them. You saved _me_."

She smiled at him softly, the hard lines of grief smoothed away, and when he pulled back she asked, "So, I guess that means you agree? You'll come with me willingly?"

Obito's cheerful grin faltered for a moment and his eyes darted to his teammates, sleeping on the ground. He thought of Rin, large brown eyes reflecting the green glow covering her hands, a fond smile on her lips as she laughed at one of his jokes. He remembered Kakashi, standing in front of the Memorial Stone, motionless as the stone itself and an expression like _he_ was the one who died. Minato sensei when he came to drag him back, pleading with Kakashi to eat, to sleep, trying to convince him to make an appointment with the Yamanakas, the bags under his eyes just as deep as Kakashi's. The one team meeting sensei managed to drag them both to, awkward and eerily silent and heavy with a grief they couldn't put into words.

They'll miss him, but they don't need him. Not like Shuurei-san does. They have each other, at least, but Shuurei… she doesn't have anyone. Not even a village. And he can save them, save so many people with her help and get stronger. Strong enough that nothing like this ever has to happen again.

So he takes a deep breath that shakes a little and swallows hard before he replies, "Yeah. Yeah, I'll go with you." Thinking of Kakashi, head bent with grief, standing for hours on end in front of the Memorial, and he reaches up to the orange goggles strapped to his head- a little dented, a little beaten up after the cave-in but remarkably intact considering- and pulls them off, setting them in Kakashi's open hand. "Don't let it get to you, teme. You're stronger than that. Don't forget about Rin-chan and Minato-sensei, because they need you."

He turns to Rin and opens his mouth, about to say something to her, too, when Shuurei's body goes tense, and her head whips around to stare in the direction of Konoha. She puts a hand on his shoulder and whispers urgently, "We need to go. Now." He hesitates for a bare second, staring down at Rin's face with a soft expression and open longing, before he closes his mouth and nods, turning away. They dart into the tree cover and make as if to leave, but Shuurei stops him with a raised hand and reaches into her bag to pull out two small seal tags she plastered to his arm and her thigh, then gestures for him to take cover and they watch as Konoha-nin come into the clearing.

As if that were his cue, in that very same instant Kakashi starts to rouse, bleary eyes blinking open only for him to shut the red one with a wince against the chakra drain and the strain of using it for so long. A medic- a Hyuga, by the looks of it- leans over him, hand aglow with medical chakra, and moments later he sits up, blearily rubbing at his good eye as he slips his hitai-ate over the Sharingan. He blinks, looking confused for a second before an expression of utter horror comes over his face and he jerks around to look for Rin and stills- shock and complete bewilderment playing across his face when he sees her, alive and well and completely, utterly _whole_. He's shaking, and it's only when his hands clench into fists that he realizes there's something in his hand and he stares down at the goggles, what skin there was visible going as pale as his hair. Then his eyes snap to the surrounding trees, darting all over, scanning for something as the other shinobi help him to his feet. It's only when one of them makes to pick up Rin and sling her over his shoulder that he abandons the search, wheeling on the man and probably snarling at him, if the shocked looks on their faces are anything to judge by. Gingerly, with more care then he's ever shown anyone before, he picks Rin up and carries her princess style, head bowed and shaking with emotion as they leap off into the trees. Kakashi hesitates, taking one last, slow look over the clearing and the trees before following them, goggles still clenched in his fist.

Watching them go, Kakashi isn't the only one who's shaking. Shuurei hesitates, empathy in her eyes, and pulls him into a quick, awkward hug. "Come on, let's go brat. We've got a world to save."


	2. Children, Battles, and Migraines, Oh My!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I've been writing this thing all day and it's one o'clock in the morning and I just want to get this up, so I haven't proofread it thoroughly yet. Please excuse any mistakes.

The next morning when he wakes up with puffy red eyes, she doesn't say anything. She simply passes him a plate of eggs and bacon and moves to start packing up camp in her sealing scrolls. There are so many things he should say, so many questions to ask, but he can't quite work up the motivation to do anything but sit there and consider what it means to know the future.

She told him, last night, what the future was supposed to be. Who he was supposed to be. He can't… can't really wrap his head around that much hatred, can't picture what it's like to feel so dead inside you want to literally tear the world apart. Can't imagine how he could've turned into someone so twisted and cruel, capable of slaughtering his sensei and his entire clan with a smile on his face.

But then he remembers the rage he felt, that instant where he wanted nothing more than to rip the ones who took her from him into pieces, and he tries to imagine what would've happened if he was left alone in that for years with no one but a twisted madman to make him see sense. He wonders what would've happened if one of his few precious people, the people he would and nearly did give his life for, actually did die. If he'd watched that scene but not heard Kakashi's refusal, the death of one friend, the betrayal of another?

He wonders if he's capable of becoming a monster.

"Heavy thoughts, for so early in the morning." Shuurei comments, starting on the stretching exercises she did every morning. "Why don't you stop moping around and spend that energy doing something productive?"

He's been out of bed for only a week now and still covered in bandages, what is she expecting him to do? "Uh, still recovering here! You know, from having _half my body crushed?"_

Bending over in something remarkably close to a split, she blew a strand of hair out of her face and shot him a look. "Have you memorized that book I gave you, on the medicinal qualities of herbs? Have you completed that chakra control exercise I showed you? Have you even practiced your kanji _once_ since I gave you pointers? Don't use your injuries as an excuse to get out of work, Obito. I won't tolerate moping."

If anyone else had said that he would've taken that as an insult or at least been hurt by it, but knowing what he does now about her village, he can't bring himself to be offended. It's been what, four years since she lost her village, lost _everything_? And she's still functioning, still doing her best to save people. She hasn't broken down, hasn't let her grief overcome her, and Obito's pain is nothing compared to hers. She's right, too. He has no time to mess around and carry on feeling sorry for himself when they only have a decade to prepare to face Madara and the Jyuubi.

That still won't stop him from complaining about it. "Uuuuuggghhhh, but _Shuurei_ , I _hate_ studying!" he moaned.

In a motion too fast for his eyes to follow, she leaps up from her split and in one fluid motion slaps the back of his head. "Stop being an idiot or I swear to god the next one will cause you brain damage!" she scolds him as he rubs the back of his head and winces. "Now, I want to go over my plans for the next few years. We have about a year until the Kyuubi attack, assuming Madara's still planning to go through with that. I'd say so, because it's still a rare opportunity to do Konoha some _significant_ damage and no matter what happens Naruto's still going to be born that day. I'm going to handle that one alone, because the sealing's simple enough and there's not really anything you can help me with so it'd be kind of pointless for you to risk being flattened in the attack for no reason. Until then, we're going to be on the move, looking for key people and gathering information because my ability is _not_ infallible and pretty much useless after too many things change and you just never know."

He… didn’t like not doing anything to help with the Kyuubi attack. "But what if something happens? Are you _really_ sure you can seal it away and not die like sensei was supposed to?"

She gives him an annoyed look. "Oh I don't know, I've only been preparing for this exact scenario for _twenty years_ , what do you think? Sealing a bijuu's _easy_ compared to some of the seals I've invented. I'm going alone, end of discussion."

"But… it's sensei! And what if Rin-chan or Kakashi-teme get hurt? What if something goes wrong and you need my help? I have to be there!" That image of Rin from Shuurei's genjutsu popped into his head, bleeding and coughing up blood.

"I'll be fine, they'll be fine, I _know_ what I'm doing." she said, exasperated. "Moving on. After the attack we're going to scope out Kiri and try to pinpoint when the Bloodline Purge is going to happen. A lot of key players come from Kiri and if we're going to keep them from being swayed over to the opposition we're going to need to know where they are so we can strike preemptively. Then we're going to try to dig up information on Jugo and his clan and try to sound out where the rest of the Uzumaki ended up… which reminds me, I need to visit my tykes today."

Obito blinked in confusion. "Your… what?"

She smirked at him proudly. "Oh nothing, just a stroke of utter _genius_. That must, unfortunately, remain a secret for now. I'll tell you later on."

Why does that make him nervous?

Whipping out a blank scroll, she used a quick doton to pull up a slab of rock she could use as a table and began writing furiously, complex sealing arrays taking shape beneath his astonished eyes. How can she make something that complicated so quickly, like it's nothing? "All that you really need to know is that every once in a while I'll be leaving you with a Shadow Clone. Not just any Shadow Clone, though, but my very own modified version of it. Honestly, it might as well be a new type of clone altogether… my clones are imbued with a seal that summons me, the original, when it disperses, so if you have trouble that's too much for a clone to handle I'll be there immediately."

"Okay then." he replied, curious but content not to probe into it. He's only agreed to go along with her for a day- less, even- of course she's not going to trust him with all her secrets. She's been very candid with him as it is. "What now? Where are we headed?"

"I'm thinking we head towards Kiri, but before that," she made a few hand signs, her fingertips started to glow a soft gold, and she quickly jabbed the compliance seal above his heart, releasing it. "I'm sorry I put that on you, but I needed to keep you here somehow and it seemed like the only option."

He grimaced, gasping for breath. "It's… fine… you h-had to."

She smiled grimly. "Even so, I hate to do that to someone." When he'd recovered, she held up the seal she'd been working on and pressed it to her forearm. With a flash of light the paper disintegrated and lines of ink sprawled across her skin as she clenched her teeth in obvious discomfort before it all compressed into a small point, a black tattoo like three intersecting circles- a vendiagram.

"What's that?" Obito asked, staring at the mark intently. He's seen Minato-sensei write seals before, seen him use his Hiraishin and Kushina-san erect barriers, but he's never seen sealing like this where it's a person being sealed or so big it needs to be compressed.

"A rather complicated illusion seal. It's so big it needed to be compressed, which just adds a whole other level of difficulty to the scribing process but it's well worth it in my opinion. I really hate using this transference process, but the only other way to put it on me is to strip naked and paint it on directly, which…" she laughed outright at the look on his face. "Yeah, I didn't want to give you a heart attack. As to what it does…" she smiled smugly and in a practiced motion bit her thumb and swiped it over the mark, leaving a trail of blood behind. There was a puff of smoke and suddenly she didn't have red hair and strange green-gold eyes. Instead there was a woman of similar stature with long, dark brown hair and orange eyes, facial structure similar but sharper, face narrower, cheekbones more prominent.

"Woah!" he gasped, reaching up to touch her face. He could actually feel the skin, despite the fact that he _knows_ it isn't really there. He tested it with a simple kai, watching it intently for any wavering or flaws, but it didn't so much as twitch. "That is _awesome_! You _have_ to teach me this sealing thing, it's so _cool_!"

"Sure thing, kid." she answered, mussing his hair playfully as she slapped the seal on his good shoulder. He winced and scowled at the same time as he used his other arm to bat away her hand while the seal burned into his skin. "But you've got a looooong way to go before you're writing illusion seals. Like, say, _practicing your calligraphy_."

"Awwww, but _Shuurei-sa_ n, calligraphy is so _boooooring_." complained a brunet boy with purple eyes as the smoke cleared. Gone were the effeminate looks of the typical Uchiha, and in their place the rugged, broad features of the average street brawler.

Shuurei rolled her eyes, probably at the rough and tough manly look he went for, and flicked his ear warningly. "You've got to master the basics before you do the tough stuff, kid. Otherwise you end up missing a few fingers… or hands…. or, you know, _everything_. You wouldn't _believe_ how many people lost fingers in Uzushio. And don't call me Shuurei, from now on my name is Enigma."

"Enigma…" he rolls the word around, testing it. "Sounds foreign. Weird, but whatever you say. I'm going to be… Tsuyoidesu!"

"Umm, yeah, no. Your name is Shimarisu. Shima-kun for short."

"What? _Chipmunk?_ No way! That's so _girly!_ My name is Tsuyoidesu, it means strong and that totally fits me better than _chipmunk_. It's awesome, like me!"'

"It’s also _long_. I'm not going to break my teeth on that name every kami-forsaken day! Your name is Shima-kun and that's final!"

"But Engima-san…" he whined petulantly.

Her hand twitched towards her scrolls. "Don't _make me_ seal your mouth shut! So help me kami I will, and there's no telling if it'll be permanent or not!"

He wisely kept silent, sulking as they started down the road.

 

 

The Third Shinobi War had only recently ended, the success of Team Minato's Kannagi Bridge mission a crucial turning point whose success cut off reinforcements from Kumo to Iwa. This meant that, though they kept mainly to the roads and through the smaller neutral countries, they occasionally skirted the edges of a battlefield, as the last vestiges of war faded from the land. Even tiptoeing around active battlefields, though, nothing much happened on the road until three and a half months after they set off from Konoha.

They travelled slowly, spending a week on the road before picking a town to stay in for a day or two, talking up the locals and making friends and contacts before moving on. As they travelled Shuurei would pass the time cramming knowledge into his head. Specifically medical knowledge because guess what, Shuurei happens to be a fairly competent medic nin in addition to being a Seals Master and she insists that every nin capable of any sort of chakra control should know the very basics at least. She would give him books and scrolls to read at night after they set up camp and quiz him on what he read while they were moving, correcting him and expanding on what the scrolls said, pointing out various herbs as they passed and listing their properties, how they interacted with each other, how they should be processed before they're used and teaching him how to identify them by sight and scent when she put them in their dinner for the night. It was harsh, especially the many times he fell ill and she'd had to dose him with the antidote, but he learned fast and, to his amazement, it stuck. She didn't baby him through the lessons, but she was patient and good at explaining things in a way that made it easier to understand and told him the real-life applications of it, which- unlike the Academy teachers- made him understand why it was important to know. She gave reasons for everything she did and answered every question, no matter how uncomfortable, frank with him in a way no one else ever was. When he got competent enough in herbology she started randomly stopping him in the middle of the road and telling him to identify all the medicinal herbs in the area, and they wouldn't move on until he'd listed all of the ones she'd noticed.

Medicine wasn't the only thing she taught him about, of course. Shuurei kept her promise to teach him fuinjutsu, though they'd yet to move past correcting his handwriting and teaching him kanji, a subject he'd barely scooted by on the requirements for in the Academy but now attacked with forced enthusiasm. She explained to him the theory behind the different branches of fuinjutsu, different common or multi-purpose seals and how they can be used in battle, and the history of fuinjutsu since it's discovery in the Warring States era. She demonstrated them, having him watch as she inked seals and explained which lines did what and the importance of chakra flow and direction during the application. It really was an amazing subject, possibilities limited only by your imagination and understanding of how they worked and the more she showed him, the keener he got on the subject, the more interested.

He was fascinated by her stories of Uzushio, the island village pulled from the sea. More like one massive, chaotic family where practically everyone was related to each other and family was valued above anything else than a village. She described a village composed almost entirely of violent redheads and how arguments and explosions were your lullabies at night and your alarm-clock in the morning, punctuated only by the sounds of the sea or the wind beating at your rooftop. At night, when they're sitting by the campfire- if it's safe to make one- and he's going over whatever text she'd assigned him to read, she'll sing songs from Uzushio, rousing ballads and gentle lullabies with an edge of desperation, as if she's afraid that if she doesn't sing, doesn't fall into her memories with the heartbreak of one falling into an impossible love, she'll forget. Sometimes, if he doesn't pull her out of her lament and urge her to go to sleep, she'll devolve into desolate keening that was the closest she'd get to tears, as if begging the world to give her home back to her, and in the morning she'd be unusually quiet and solemn until at least noon before she managed to shake it off.

Three months in, he's healed well enough to finally take off the bandages and is shocked to see sensitive pale skin quite a few shades whiter than his own with ripple-like scars, making him look deformed.

She sees the disgust on his face and winces. "I'm sorry. When Madara saved you originally he grafted on Hashiraima's DNA, but he was no medic-nin so I thought that if he could do _that_ with little to no medical training, then I should be able to save you without having to. I wasn't sure, though, and I didn't want to risk your life if it did turn out to be necessary, so I broke into one of Orochimaru's labs and copied his data on his Mokuton experiments and stole some samples he had, just in case I needed to do the same. I actually did end up having to use it, because Hashiraima's DNA has remarkable regenerative qualities that are probably the only reason you survived such a delicate procedure in such deplorable conditions originally, since it naturally draws on nature energy and incorporates it harmlessly into the bearer's original chakra system without risk of overpowering it and turning them to stone." She forced a pained, guilty smile and patted him on the shoulder roughly. "Well, it could've been worse! Originally Madara grafted on the DNA of that plant-man abomination he created as a binding agent, probably to make it easier for him to control you if you ever betrayed him, and it would've made your skin this sickly grey-white color, but obviously I didn't do that. I pumped my chakra into you instead to use as a binding agent, and it worked fairly well, which means that this time around you are one hundred percent human. Your skin's pale right now because it's new skin, but if you give it some sun it'll get some color back and return to looking more natural, and the scars will fade with time if I'm careful enough with the healing."

Mesmerized, he lightly traced the grooves and ridges etched into the skin, shivering slightly at the tingly, ticklish sensation crawling up his spine. It was so… weird. Well, at least he's not going to be walking around looking like a messed up science experiment for too long "So, it'll get better and look more normal eventually? But I'll still have scars, right?"

"Yeah." she sighed, grimacing at him apologetically, watching him carefully.

He broke into a wide smile. "Heh, cool! The ladies love a dashing scar."

She smiled at him, irritation bleeding into relief, and in one practiced motion whacked him upside the back of his head. "Baka." she snarked fondly. Then her expression turned more serious. "Are you sure you're okay with this? I basically did the same thing Madara did to you, turning you into some science experiment. The scars will fade, the skin will tan, but you're never going to look completely normal again."

"It's fine, really! I'm a ninja, I signed up for this the moment I put on my hitai-ate. Besides, I should've died. A few scars are an okay trade-off in my opinion."

She laughed at that and ruffled his hair. "You really are a happy-go-lucky guy. I don't know how you can accept everything so easily. It's like it just slides right off."

He remembered spiteful sneers and malicious whispers, walking around like a stranger in what was supposed to be his own home. An empty house, completely silent, no one to welcome him home. The disappointed stares of the Academy sensei and condescending attitudes of his classmates as they mocked his dream. Rin's sad smile as she readied the genjutsu to make Kakashi kill her. The look on Kakashi's face as he stood in front of the Memorial, mourning him, endlessly guilty for something that wasn't his fault, that was Obito's choice. His cheerful expression faltered for a moment, but he forced it back. "Lots of practice, I guess. No use carrying on about it, being all mopey. Not like boohooing's going to help anything and it just makes you feel worse in the end." It's all in the past. He's doing something important now with someone who believes in him, who's going to make him stronger. He's going to be fine.

"Good attitude to live by." Digging into her bag she fished out an impressively detailed map and ran her finger along their route. "Well, we're still in Fire but we're getting close to the border with Kumo so stay sharp, there might be a few conflicts still brewing and god knows Kumo's not going to be too pleased with Konoha intruders after what Minato-san did to their forces."

Obito snorted. "For a guy who's so laid-back, Minato-sensei's really good at pissing people off. So, should we activate our illusion seals?"

She tapped a finger on the edge of the map, considering. "Hmm… nah, it shouldn't be necessary. If we step carefully, my sensory abilities should keep us far enough away from any battles that we won't need them."

"You sure? The area's pretty hot right now."

She bit her lip. "Maybe I can send my summons to scout ahead? Yeah, let's do that." Running through the hand signs, she nipped her thumb and slammed her hand against the ground. There was a puff of smoke, and it cleared to reveal a nondescript sparrow the size of his forearm, a string of white beads tied around her neck like a choker. "Hey Shizuka-san! Think you can scout ahead for us today?"

"Sure thing, Shuurei-san!" she answered cheerfully, taking to the air with three powerful wing flaps.

"Come back around noon unless you see something!" she yelled to Shizuka, who circled around them once to signal affirmative before taking off, flying ahead and following close to the road. "So," she said, turning to face Obito, "now that you've recovered enough to start working out- beyond the stretching exercises you've been doing to stay in shape- it's about time I test you to see what style you're suited to."

"Style?" he asked, falling into step with her as they started down the road, hefting his backpack onto his shoulders. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm going to help you with your taijutsu, teach you one of Uzushio's styles. To do that, though, I have to test you to see which style suits you, Whirlpool, Tide, or Tsunami. You're also cleared to start working on your jutsu, though you've got a long way to go on those control exercises." As they walked she did some hand sign exercises, hands moving at a speed barely visible to normal eyes.

He scowled, kicking at a rock on the ground and sending it flying. "It's not my fault! I've got so much more of it now since you pumped me full of your chakra!" And he wasn't very good at it to begin with.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not saying it's your fault, I'm just stating the facts. Don't get so testy. Here," she scooped up a couple of rocks from the side of the road and tossed it to him, "practice sticking those to your hands. With Uzumaki-size reserves, you've got to start big and work your way down. Right now, as you are, if you tried those leaf-sticking exercises your village is so fond of, you'd just end up disintegrating them."

Chakra control exercises suck. They give him a killer headache every time. It's like trying to use muscles you don't have to take some intangible substance like water- no, even harder, smoke- and try to shape it with your bare hands. If you're distracted even just a little bit it all goes to hell and whatever progress you've made goes down the toilet. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He sighed, and then bent his mind towards the rocks, already feeling the ache just above his ears.

They continued on in silence, with Obito splitting his attention between the rocks and his surroundings, constantly aware of his surroundings as all good ninja are. It killed his control and exacerbated his growing migraine. Next to him, Shuurei was looking over a scroll containing a seal she'd been working on for the past few weeks, a hard one too, if the way her eyebrows were drawn together was any indication. Around noon he just about managed to stick three rocks to his palms when Shuurei threw something at his head, breaking his concentration.

He scowled at her in annoyance- he almost had it!- and then a second later rubbed at his temples, wincing, trying to alleviate the steady throb of pain. "It's lunch time, so eat up. Shizuka-san should be getting back to us soon and I don't want to go any farther until she does, just in case, so we're going to stop and take a break."

"Fine." he sighed, staggering over to one of the trees and sliding to the ground, boneless, arms splayed at his sides. "Are you really going to teach me one of Uzushio's styles? Aren't those closely guarded secrets? And how are you going to test me, anyway?"

She jumped up into the branches of a neighboring tree, munching on a ration bar with a grimace towards the taste. "There _is_ no Uzushio anymore. For all I know, I might be the last Uzumaki- Kushina-san exempted, of course. If I _don't_ teach you the style may very well die out, and I'd hate for Uzushio to just be forgotten like that. Besides, this is no time to be all hung up on keeping things in the village when there's another war coming."

His expression grew somber at the reminder. "I guess so. Sorry."

She glanced at him in surprise. "For what? Reminding me? I may still be mourning my village, but I'm not so fragile that every time I'm reminded of it I'll break down. I've gotta do what I've gotta do, and I can't let my feelings get in the way of that. Besides," she looked up into the sky with a faraway look in her eyes, "there are others out there, other survivors. We may be scattered now and grieving, but Uzushio isn't dead yet."

They lapsed into silence, scanning the skies and munching- reluctantly- on the ration bars. A few minutes later Shuurei spotted Shizuka as a grey dot in the sky and smiled in welcome, a smile that quickly slid off her face when she realized the speed at which she was approaching. Instantly she was leaping out of the tree, arm held up to provide Shizuka with a perch while the other went for the tanto strapped to her back. He likewise leapt to his feet, throwing out his senses, searching for chakra signatures in the area and slipping into a defensive stance, kunai in hand.

Shizuka landed, gasping from exertion. "Shuurei-san… there's a child… up ahead… in danger! Battle nearby and… he's unconscious! We have to move quickly!"

"Where?" Shuurei barked tersely, already taking off in the direction she came from at top speed. "What is his condition?"

"About five clicks north-northwest. I saw no blood, but he was very pale and his right arm was clearly broken. The combatants are Suna and Kumo, fifteen to five though the battle's winding down and only a handful are still fighting. They're about five hundred yards away from his position."

"Alright." She transferred Shizuka to her shoulder pulled two scrolls, red and white, from her satchel. "Shizuka, do aerial reconnaissance, lead the way and tell us if anyone comes close but keep some distance so no one realizes you're a summon, usual signals." Shizuka took off with an 'understood'. "Obito," he jumped to attention at the commanding tone in her voice, "if it comes to a fight you are to hang back and let me take the brunt of it. Your priority is protecting the kid and getting him the hell out of there."

"What?" he protested. "But I can-"

"Don't question me, just move!" she yelled at him thunderously. "If we're separated I'll send Shizuka out and she'll circle above our position, twice clockwise for enemy engagement, back-up requested, three times for captured, three times and once counter-clockwise for injured and immobile, and continuously clockwise to signal my position. If I'm downed, go through my bag, use the purple scroll, and explain the situation to my summons."

"Shuurei-san, we're a hundred yards away! Veer left, under a large sycamore tree!" Shizuka yelled from overhead, flapping her wings hard to get some altitude so she could scan the area.

And there he was, a little boy around four or five years old with ash grey hair in a plain grey t-shirt and black pants. As Shizuka said, he was very pale and his arm was obviously broken in two places. Instantly Shuurei was kneeling at his side, green chakra coating her hands and signaling for Obito to keep watch. A minute later she took a deep breath and in one quick motion popped the bones into place, her other hand over his mouth to muffle the scream. His body arced and then went still, a faint sheen of sweat breaking out on his face and his skin gaining a greyish tone that didn't look healthy at all. Then the green glow around her hands grew brighter before she stopped to splint the limb and then migrated to his head where her eyebrows drew together in concentration.

"Enigma, incoming!" Obito yelled when two signatures entered his range. Just their luck, it was two Kumo-nin. If it'd been Suna they could've claimed affiliation with Konoha- Obito knew all the passwords like the back of his hand- but Kumo was decidedly anti-Konoha at the moment. He deflected a kunai and heard Shuurei doing the same behind him, and then the distinctive poof of a Shadow Clone jutsu and suddenly there were two Shuureis intercepting a sword strike going for his head from behind. Leaving that nin to the clones, he leaped to engage the second, throwing shuriken and then circling around to attack from behind only for the enemy to slip into the ground with the Headhunter jutsu. Growling, he took to the trees, waiting for him to come up to breathe and- there! He threw a kunai with an attached exploding tag and he's down, but not out. Before he can recover Obito's on the ground, throwing a roundhouse kick before he could get the chance to make any hand signs. He's blocked but that's okay, because he uses the momentum to swing around and slam his heel into the other side and hears a pained grunt for his efforts. Then the nin pulls out a kunai and Obito's not recovered enough to avoid it completely so it grazes his ribs and he jumps back to get some space and time to recover, throwing shuriken as he goes to keep him from slipping off into the ground. Again he blocks, but he doesn't notice the wire attached to them and a quick fire style jutsu brings him down and out for the count.

Shuurei's enemy similarly dispatched, he headed towards Shuurei who was piggybacking the kid, favoring her right arm but otherwise unharmed and they retreat, going for the road. "How's the kid?"

"I've set the arm and fixed up his ribs the best I can, but he has a severe concussion I'll have to take a look at when we're stationary, it looks nasty." Shizuka trills shrilly overhead and Shuurei yells, "Get down!" He does and she throws one of her scrolls in the air, unravelling as it goes, and seconds later there's a boom and everything around them is flattened. "Shit!" Shuurei hisses, sweat rolling down the side of her face, strain evident. "Fuck! Who the hell throws out such a destructive area of effect jutsu for just _two_ guys?!"

Five seconds later she's on her knees, panting, and the green dome protecting them dissolves. "There go my Shadow Clones. We should be safe for now, it looks like those two were all that's left of the Kumo contingent and Suna's pulling out in the opposite direction."

"How are you on chakra?" he asks, measuring her pallor against its usual coloration and looking at her hands for any shaking.

"I'm pretty low, but I'm not about to collapse any time soon." She scrutinized the surroundings. "We might be good for now- Shizuka's signaling an all-clear- but I don't like not having any tree cover. We should get some distance in case Kumo managed to call for reinforcements before they were downed."

"How's your arm?" he asked, seeing her wince when a sudden movement jostled her.

"How's your side?" she countered brusquely. "It's fine. If I haven't said anything yet it's not worth mentioning."

They ran flat-out at a pace that covered ground quickly but that they could keep up for days if necessary, making sure to keep to the Konoha side of the border. It didn't take long to reach the edges of the jutsu's effects, but they kept on anyway, at first to get some distance from the battlefield and any possible reinforcements and then because they kept having to dodge engagements. When they finally found an area that was far enough away they were comfortable setting up camp, the sun was going down and Shuurei was noticeably lagging.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, taking the kid from her arms and setting him carefully on the ground before going to support her before she could collapse.

"I'm… fine. I just… used more chakra than I expected. Can you set up camp, make a fire? I think we're far enough away from the border we can risk it."

"Sure." As he moved to comply he heard a ripping sound and glanced over to see that Shuurei had ripped off her blood-soaked sleeve and was examining the gash in her arm. With a grimace a green light flickered to life briefly on her hands before it died.

"Hey, don't use any more chakra! We don't need you risking chakra exhaustion."

She snorted and started searching her satchel for something. "Obviously you haven't been around too many Uzumaki. I've never had chakra exhaustion before, and I'm not going to get it now. I'd be fine right now if that asshole hadn't thrown out that last jutsu. I need to pop a soldier pill, though. The kid's got one hell of a concussion and I'm afraid if I leave it the inflammation will get worse and he'd be risking permanent brain damage.

He sighed. "Fine, then I'm going to go hunting. We used up the last of our supplies and ration bars aren't going to cut it when you're popping soldier pills and the kid's so pale and thin."

"Be careful."

"Of course."

When he made it back two hours later with a brace of plump squirrels he found a pot of water set to boil over their campfire and the kid laid out in Shuurei's sleeping bag. Without a word she took the squirrels from him and set about skinning and gutting them, gesturing for him to take a seat by the fire.

"No problems fixing up the kid?"

She shook her head, not looking up from where she was skinning the squirrels. "None. He should be up and running by tomorrow and hopefully we can find out where his family is and get him to them. You dressed that graze?"

He scoffed. "Of course. Nothing to worry about."

She shot him a sharp look. "I'll be the judge of that. Come here."

"Hey, you finish gutting those squirrels first, your hands are covered in guts!"

She rolled her eyes. "You're a _shinobi_ , stop being squeamish." With a flicker of light the pain drained out of his side and he sagged in relief, noting that she was careful not touch his clothes. "You're right, it isn't much. I'm still glad I checked it over though, you never know if they've poisoned their weapons. Your wounds from before are a bit inflamed from the fight today, but there's no sign of tearing so you should be fine."

She finished preparing the squirrels and threw them into the pot with some herbs and greens she found when he was out hunting. As they waited for it to boil he took out a book he'd been reading on medicinal herbs and Shuurei started in on the seal that'd been giving her so much trouble. By the time the stew was finished cooking the migraine he'd been nursing all day- abated for a time by the rush of adrenalin from the fight- was pounding so hard he couldn't stand to read any more.

"Hey, you alright?" Shuurei asked when he groaned, catching his pained expression.

"Migraine." he answered, kneading his palms into his forehead to relieve the pressure. "Goddamn chakra control takes it right out of me, every time."

He heard Shuurei moving things around and the rustle of paper before he sensed something coming at his head and instinctively snatched it out of the air, turning over in his hands what turned out to be a topical cream. He cracked open the jar and sniffed at it curiously, not putting it past her to test him even now. "Feverfew and… butterbur?"

She nodded. "Good for headaches."

He dabbed it on his forehead and sighed as he felt it take effect and opened his eyes just in time for him to see Shuurei glancing over at the kid for the umpteenth time that night. "Alright, what's going on? You keep looking at that kid like you think he's going to disappear."

She bit her lip again, a habit he'd noticed she'd do whenever she was thinking especially hard. "It's… well, it's probably nothing, but he looks a lot like a member of a clan from Uzushio, the Tsumeito. He could be a survivor, and if he is, and we manage to track down his family, then…"

Then she'd have family again. That would mean everything to her. "Are you sure?"

She scowled into the fire pit. "No, I'm not. That's why it bothers me so much." she shook her head. "Anyway, what's up with you and these headaches, Obito? This is the third time this week your headaches have been bad enough to need medication."

"I don't know! It was never this bad before, even when I was just learning. I used to be pretty decent at it too, but now forget walking up trees, I can't glue a rock to my hand without feeling like someone set off an explosive tag in my head."

Frowning, she held out her hand and gestured for him to come closer. "Let me take a look. It might be a side effect from the grafting, and if there's something going on with your chakra we need to nip it in the bud now before it becomes a problem."

After a few minutes she pulled away with a sigh. "Looks like your network's really shaky right now. It has to adapt to not one, but _two_ new chakra signatures, mine and Hashiraima's, and his is completely foreign to you, mixed as it is with nature chakra. Honestly, I wonder if that man was even human. No wonder his DNA's all over the place, it's dead useful. Anyway, your chakra network's still adjusting so using it's going to be difficult for a while, so until then I'd leave off and focus on getting your body up to par. Now, what say we get to bed, huh? Recover from today's excitement."

Bed sounded pretty good right about then. He hadn't moved around so much in months and like Shuurei told him earlier, his wounds were aching. "But what about the watch?"

She waved a dismissive hand. "After that chakra pill, I have energy to burn. I'll make a few shadow clones and have them take the watch."

"They can do that? I thought you had to consciously keep them going constantly."

With a large yawn she slipped into her spare sleeping bag. "Nope. Just give 'em some chakra and they'll pop when they run out 'n all the memories go to me."

"Seriously, do they have _any_ weaknesses, besides taking a crap load of chakra?" He asked as the clone took it's position up in a tree with a good view, unrolling his own sleeping bag.

"Nope." she answered drowsily, lips smacking on the P. And then she was out like a light.

"What a scary jutsu. And with Uzumaki reserves, it' a wonder they didn't take over the world…" he murmured drowsily as he, too, drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, new character time. Can you guess who it is? Actually, it's pretty obvious who it is. I'll give you a hint: it's not an OC. I actually intended to introduce him in a completely different way but he just sort of happened. And that battle scene? I don't know where the hell that came from. Oh well, enjoy! Be sure to comment, guess, and speculate amongst yourselves, I promise the next chapter isn't going to take that long to get here, by the way I've been writing lately. Honestly, it's like I'm possessed. Or just really, really bored.


	3. The Longest Chapter EVER

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be up days ago, but this scene just DID NOT want to end! Seriously! I wrote the first two-thirds all in one go at seven o'clock in the morning, spent the whole damn day on it, and the next morning I don't want to write a word. Actually, no, I WANTED to write plenty, but my muse slammed the door in my face and laughed. She's like "hell no, bitch! I want a vacation!" and left me scrambling to pull the rest of it together.
> 
> Anyway, hope you like it, 'cause I sure as hell couldn't put it down. I literally spent a whole day just rereading it over and over again. And squeeing like crazy because, funny stuff! And character development! And adorableness! And even a little bit of shipping! Yay!

The next morning he wakes up to a hand on his shoulder and before he even consciously registers it he has a kunai to Shuurei's throat. Blinking blearily a few times, he wakes up enough to realize who it is he's pinned and instantly releases her.

"Sorry." he yawned, rubbing at the crusties in the corners of his eyes. Then he notices the direction the light is coming from. "Why'd you let me sleep in so late? Usually we'd have been on the road for hours by now."

Standing up from her crouch, she stretched languidly, joints popping. "After that fight from yesterday we needed the rest. You _are_ still recovering from your injuries, and the backlash from a soldier pill is worse than a hangover." Moving across camp, she went and knelt down by the kid, hands pulsing a steady green as she checked him over. "He should be up by now. I say we give him an hour and then I'll try to wake him up. Got to make sure nothing's wrong."

Obito nodded his assent and then joined Shuurei as she started her morning exercises as he'd been doing for the past two weeks. It pulled at his scars some, but it felt nice to stretch in the morning and it was noticeably improving his flexibility. He was pretty distracted this morning though.

The kid. Her family, possibly. If he'd learned anything about Shuurei the past few months- shockingly little, for such a candid person, she's a master at being mysterious and vague- he knew she was a bleeding heart. There's no way she'd leave a kid on his own or drop him off at an orphanage, relative or not. "Hey Shuurei-san, what if the kid doesn't _have_ any parents? What are we going to do then?"

She hesitated mid-stretch, and then straightened up to look at him. "I have a solution, if it comes to that. It's about time I show you where I go when I disappear every few days."

Now that she mentioned it… "That's right, I've been wondering about that. You disappear every few days no matter where we are and always stay for only a handful of days before you come back, but since we're moving around all the time you can't just be going to the same place every time or it'd take longer to get there and back." It'd been bugging the hell out of him for months now. None of the theories he came up with made even a lick of sense.

She smiled in that deliberately infuriating way she does when she's being mysterious. "Like I said, I'll show you. But only _if_ it becomes necessary. Now, what are the properties of All-Heal?"

He sighed, but dutifully recited the answer. "All-Heal, also known as Prunella Vulgarus, good for bruises, sprains, cuts, cold sores, and sore throats. Apply directly to the afflicted area, best used fresh. Slow-acting, often used in teas. Purple spiky flowers resembling clover, blooms May through October."

"Good. Echinacea?"

"Echinacea Augustifolia, known to treat colds, ear infections, insect bites, sinus problems, sore throats and… yeast infections. Boosts the immune system. Best used as a tincture or taken orally. Large purple flowers with spiky orange-brown center. Do not use if patient is allergic to ragweed."

"…Acceptable. Now, what about the Hibiscus?"

"Umm…" He yelped when a lack of concentration caused him to overstretch. With a wince he pulled out of it and opted to sit criss-cross instead. "I… don't know."

She tisked, moving from scissor kicks to planking. "Sloppy, Obito-kun, sloppy."

To their surprise, someone else answered. "Hibiscus Sabdariffa of the Malvaceae family is used in diet and weight loss pills, herbal teas, and longevity tonics." spoke a childish tenor. They spun around to see the ash-haired boy, awake and staring at them with wide, unfocused black eyes. "Effective treatment for hypertension, highly nutritional. Can be made into red dye and wine red tea. Frequent consumption can lower blood pressure. It is a flowering plant with large, trumpet-shaped flowers that can be white, pink, red, purple, or yellow. It is usually grown for ornamentation in tropical environments." Breaking out of his stupor, he blinked and then winced in pain, one hand going to his temple, his expression confused. "How did I know that…?"

Shuurei was thunderstruck, gaping at the kid. "Kabuto…?" she breathed, before her face transformed into a reassuring smile. "Hey kid, so you're up. That was pretty impressive."

He started at the sound of her voice, sliding backwards and curling up into a ball, obviously scared. "Who are you? Where am I? What happened?" he squeaked, then clutched at his head again. "Ow, my head…."

Crouching down low, Shuurei crept forward slowly, hands held out in front of her. "Hey kid," she said softly, "Are you okay? Can I take a look? I'm a medic, I can help with that headache if you let me."

His eyes flickered to hers and latched on. He studied her for a long moment and then the tension slowly bled out of him, and he nodded his head slightly. Still smiling, her hands flickered green and the remaining hard lines of his face softened with relief. "You got hit in the head pretty hard, kid. Broke your arm too, so be careful with that for the next week or so."

"Th-thank you." he stammered, eyes darting nervously between the two of them.

"So kid, what's your name?" Obito asked, and was a bit insulted when he seemed to cringe and leaned into Shuurei, who was startled and a bit uncomfortable at the contact. She's not good with physical affection. The kid didn't seem to know what to make of him, frowning slightly. The scars _would_ be pretty intimidating to a little kid like him, especially on a stranger.

"Um… I…" he seemed confused. "I don't… know?" he choked, voice quavering. When his wide eyes started to get a little misty, Obito was surprised when _he_ froze and _Shuurei_ seemed to thaw, the corners of her mouth twitching up a little. If he didn't know Shuurei, he'd almost say she looked _motherly_.

"Hey, hey. It's okay." she crooned, patting his back rhythmically. The kid seemed to like her, if the way he kept gravitating closer was any indication. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I-I…" he sputtered, the beginnings of a sob building in the huffiness of his voice, "I don't know but… but there's nothing there! I can't remember anything! I don’t know who my parents are or where I came from or what my name is!" And then the tears started falling, though thankfully without the usual wailing most kids do when they cry. He tried to stop, rubbing furiously at his eyes, but all it did was make the skin beneath them red and puffy. Then Shuurei pulled him into a hug and he buried his face in her chest, only to stiffen and pull back a second later, fumbling with something at the collar of his shirt.

"Wait, that's-!" her eyes widened when she saw what he'd been hiding under his shirt, a simple ruby pendant with the Uzushio swirl on a fine silver chain. "Oh my god, you're-!" She choked on the words, tearing up herself as she watched him examine the pendant curiously.

The kid calmed down awfully quick once he saw the pendant. "I don't remember anything, but you feel… nice. Kind of… familiar, like wind and salty water and spices." He looked back up at her with dawning hope. "Do I know you? Do you know where I came from?"

She took a deep breath, as if to steady herself. "Well, you look just like a clan from my village. The ash-colored hair, the black eyes, the shape of your face, you have to be a Tsumeito. But that necklace…" her voice shook, her breath rattling oddly in her chest. "That necklace belonged to a friend of mine, but… she died a few years ago. I saw her die when… when my village was destroyed. I-I didn't know she had a kid. We'd been fighting for a while when…" she steadied herself, squaring up her shoulders just as he seemed to shrink in on himself, looking lost.

"Wh-what about my father? Do you know-?" he broke off when she shook her head.

"Me and my friend over there," she answered, jerking her head towards Obito, "found you on a battlefield near where shinobi were fighting. You were hurt, so we fought them off and got you out of there as fast as we could. You'd hit your head pretty hard, that's probably why you don't remember anything and… no, I don't know who your father is. Aazu-chan, your mother and I, we had a falling out a few years before…" she faltered, a hint of that haunted look in her eyes, like there was when she sang in memory of Uzushio. "Before Uzushio fell."

That was the thing about Shuurei. She could keep a remarkably level head in most situations, always cutting straight through to the heart of the matter and refusing to put up with other people's bullshit, but when the topic changed to Uzushio she'd be lost in a sea of sentimentality and regret. And she'd stay there unless someone pulled her back, unless _he_ pulled her back. "Shuurei-san, what are we going to do about him?" he asked bluntly. She didn't tolerate bandying about with words.

"Right," she took a second to compose herself, "right. Well there's no chance of finding your father, kid. Not only is that battlefield now _far_ behind us, but there were no civilian casualties in that area, no major civilian trade routes, and the only village for miles was a pile of ash and cinders. If I were to place a bet, I'd say you’re a survivor from that town since the damage was recent and Shizuka-san, my summons, reported no other survivors when she clocked it during recon."

Obito summarized the grim truth in a single statement. "You're all alone now, kid." he said bluntly, harshly, because he remembers getting this news himself, and as incredibly young as he'd been at the time he hadn't understood, hadn't appreciated when people would tiptoe around the issue, confusing him. It hurt, but it was like ripping off a Band-Aid, better to rip it off all at once than draw it out and give them hope, which would make it hurt so much worse in the end.

The kid _paled_ and looked down at the fists he was clenching in his lap. Not so much sadness as _fear_ on his face. "Please, please don't send me to the orphanage! Please don't leave me alone!" he begged, staring up at Shuurei in an inexplicable wild panic.

"Never." Shuurei spat, almost growling. Her eyes had flashed strangely at the word orphanage and he recognized that far-away look in her eyes she had when thinking of the future. Damn, so the kid's a major player and orphanages are _bad news_ for him. That made this a hell of a lot more complicated. Not that he would've allowed it anyway, he'd _seen_ the orphanages in Konoha, and while they did their best and some of them managed to do right by the children, there were a lot of people who abused the system and made life very difficult for an orphan.

That, and there was no way he could say no to those eyes.

"So, what are we going to do then? It shouldn't be a problem to keep him fed, but we're wading through active war zones here, even if the conflicts are dying out. It isn't safe."

She smirked. "I _did_ say I had a back-up plan." She pulled out the scroll she'd been huffing and puffing over lately, that she'd just last night completed. There were two of them, what he vaguely recognized from three months of training as some sort of summoning scroll. "I need you two to sign your name in blood on the bottom there, if you would." She pointed, handing them both a kunai.

Obito hesitated for only a second before he easily complied. Their time together has been short, but she'd given him more reason to trust her than anyone ever has before. The kid deliberated for much longer, though. It was strange, but even though his emotional reactions were very much those of a little kid, there was an intelligence in those black eyes of his. He didn't need to think back on the kid's text-book perfect answer to Shuurei's medical question to see that. Genius, probably. They both watched him study the scroll intently with a frustrated look on his face for a full five minutes before he signed.

"So, what did you just make us sign?" Obito asked, eager to find out where it is she's been disappearing to.

She crossed her arms, tapping a finger on her arm. "A very complicated seal. A summoning seal, but made for individuals and modified for humans, summoning a person to you without constantly draining chakra to keep them there. It was the whole no chakra thing that really gave me trouble. Okay, let's go then!" Putting her hands together in a familiar seal, she made a Shadow Clone, probably one of her special ones. Then she bit her thumb to make it bleed and flashed through some hand signs- different, he noticed, Sharingan whirling, from the ones she used to summon her birds- and slammed her hand on the ground. The smoke cleared, to reveal…

A rabbit.

"What the- Shuurei-san, you have _two_ contracts? How did you manage that? It's so rare!" He'd never heard of rabbit summons before, either. Maybe they were in a support capacity…?

"Partial contract." she corrected absently, inclining her head slightly at the rabbit who did the same to her. "With _very_ specific terms. Rabbits don't contract out to anyone, ever. Not unless there's an outstanding reason. They refuse to fight, though they have the capacity for it."

"The usual, Shuurei-san?" The rabbit interrupted, looking them over speculatively. He was a black rabbit, male, with white ears and a white four-pointed star on his forehead, a string of white beads on his neck strangely reminiscent of Shizuka's.

"Yes, if you could please Reverse Summon me, Shinkoku-san? It seems you will have more company today. If you could inform Yukanna-sama, I would be grateful."

Shinkoku scowled but nodded reluctantly. "Understood." he replied, vanishing in yet another puff of smoke. Obito coughed, the smoke tickling the back of his throat.

"Wait, so all this time you've been going to the Summons Realm?" he asked incredulously. "No wonder the travel time never changed! But why would you visit your summons every few days? Is it a part of the conditions for your contract? But then, why would that help us?"

"Oh, _you'll see_." she trilled, obviously enjoying his confusion.

A second later she disappeared in even more kami-forsaken smoke. This was _killing_ his lungs. Frustrated, he turned to the clone she left behind who was smirking at him in that same infuriating way. "What the hell?" he growled. "Where did she-"

POOF

"-go." he finished weakly, sinking to his knees from the sudden dizziness. Next to him there was labored breathing, and then a quiet gasp. Roughly he pushed the disorientation away and raised his head, blinking through the dizziness, and gave a gasp of his own.

Before them, Shuurei gave a theatrical bow, a broad grin on her face like the cat that’s got the cream, and gestured to their surroundings with a flourish. "Welcome to the Warren!"

The Warren was a building made of white stone with cathedral-style architecture, but without the pews or symbols of worship. The ceilings were high, domes and arches with delicate filigree, intricate patterns, and incredibly life-like statues of rabbits in flattering poses attached to the walls where gargoyles normally stood. One wall held a massive stained glass window depicting an image of one of every summons animal he's ever heard of and more all standing together peacefully, staring at a human shaped figure with his back to the viewer, arms outstretched towards the animals. No detail could be made out because the figure was merely a haloed outline, as if the creatures themselves were giving off light.

On a throne beneath the window was a giant rabbit sitting on a simple throne, twice the size of a tall man. She was cream-colored with a white belly and dark, intelligent eyes, a crown made of golden, stylized leaves at the base of her ears and a burgundy cloak draped over her shoulders. Yukanna-sama, he guessed.

"Ah, Shuurei-san, it's nice to see you. Such a shame I was too busy to greet you your last few visits. And who are your guests? More additions to your herd?" Her voice was regal, commanding, but with an undertone of soft kindness. She seemed amused, one ear quirked languidly, with a soft smile that somehow didn't seem that strange on a rabbit.

"This one is, your majesty." she answered, putting one hand on the kid's shoulder. He twitched, eyes darting all over the place but always finding their way back to Queen Yukanna. "His name is… Kabuto. Kabuto Tsumeito. That is, if he doesn't mind…?"

"N-no." he stammered, grabbing at her hand and holding it in a white-knuckled grip.

"And this one," she nodded at Obito, "is my companion. The one I told you about, Obito."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Obito-san. Shuurei-san has told me a lot about you. I trust you are in good health?"

"A-ah!" Startled, he instinctively dropped into the polite mannerisms his had clan drilled into him, bowing deeply. "As well as can be expected, Yukanna-sama!"

Shuurei chuckled, surprised. "Heh, who knew the brat had it in him? But yeah, he's adapting remarkably well to the treatment. It's astonishing really. It takes a strong network to integrate two foreign chakras so quickly and easily, no matter that they're both regenerative by nature. Then again, Uchiha _do_ have unusually wide chakra veins-" she rambled on eagerly to an intensely curious Yukanna before she was suddenly cut of by a thunderous yell and the sound of an approaching stampede.

"ONEEEEE-CHAAAAAN!"

Suddenly there was a herd of incredibly fast red-haired children running towards them. The leader of the pack, a purple-eyed girl, leaped at her, bowling Shuurei over in a graceless tackle as the other children proceeded to do the same, piling on her in one massive, chaotic heap. Obito winced when he saw her head smack into the ground and bounce and helped a horrified and slightly dazed Kabuto from where he was sprawled on the floor, the accidental victim of a wayward elbow.

"What the hell-?!" he exclaimed as he watched the writhing mass of children with cherry-red hair that looked an _awful_ lot like Shuurei. Even more children poured in, much more sedately than the first wave. Two of them shared the same red locks as Shuurei, but the rest had other- just as bizarre- coloring, two with robin's-egg blue, one with metallic gold, another with a deep purple and contrasting golden eyes, and even one with yellow hair just as bright as Minato-sensei's, though the resemblance ended there since her eyes were dark green.

'I will _never_ make fun of Kakashi's hair _ever_ again.' Obito thought weakly, making to edge away from the pandemonium only to bump into Kabuto, who was shivering behind his back and looking at the scene like it was his own personal nightmare come to life. He didn't seem wary of him anymore, not when he could be used as a meat-shield against the _true_ terror.

Then there was a pulse of chakra- large enough that he could feel it even amongst the tidal waves these children were giving off- and Obito tensed, kunai in hand, as four figures Body Flickered into the room. Three of them were teenagers, one a guy with carrot-colored hair and brown eyes, looking exhausted and covered in unidentifiable smears of every color, another a girl with a calm atmosphere and periwinkle hair adorned by an origami rose, and the last a man with a similarly stoic disposition with dark red hair akin to a few of the children currently dog-piling Shuurei and strange, ripple-like lilac eyes with no whites that were rather unnerving. Hiding behind them much as Kabuto was hiding behind him was another child that looked to be about ten, the odd one out of everyone in the room for the simple fact that he was the most normal-looking kid of the bunch, though those large black eyes were kind of creepy in and of themselves. His hair was a mousy brown with what looked to be- were those leaves in his hair?

"Ge'off! Get off me you brats! So help me kami, I'll- ouch!" Shuurei yelped, trying to extricate herself from the pile. "Obito, help me!" she pleaded.

He shook his head solemnly, trying to remember what kind of flowers she liked. "You're on your own, Shuurei-san." Tilting his head thoughtfully, he asked, "would you prefer roses or lilies on your coffin?"

The orange-haired teenager glanced at him thoughtfully, a sly grin reminiscent of his own playing at his lips. The girl with the origami rose looked at the children and sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

The weird-eyed teenager took in the bedlam in a glance and in a quiet, placid tone that carried nonetheless simply said, "Children." and immediately they froze, taking one look at the guy before pulling themselves off of a now bruised and bloody Shuurei with the downcast look of children about to be punished. Which they probably were, if the look origami girl gave them was any indication.

Shuurei staggered to her feet, already healing the injuries she'd sustained, and shot him a grateful look before spearing Obito with a betrayed glare. "Thank you, Nagato-kun. I can always count on you to help, _unlike some people_."

He held up his hands to ward off her anger. "Hey, I don't have a death wish, thank you very much."

Nagato turned to observe him intently, and Obito watched him mark every weapon on his person with an experienced eye before catching his with a calculating expression that sent shivers down his spine. The whole lot of them gave off a dangerous vibe, the way the most competent war veterans do. Even the goofy carrot top had an aura of power, even if he was slightly more approachable. "Is this him? The one who was to be Tobi?"

Obito shivered at the reminder, remembering the fate he would've had if Shuurei hadn't interfered. "His name is Obito, Uchiha Obito. He will never be Tobi now, just as you shall never be Pein." she replied, defending him. He inclined his head in acknowledgement of her point.

Nagato's spell broken, the children began to babble, shouting over one another to talk to Shuurei and tugging at her pant legs affectionately. Obito watched in fascinated amusement as they began to climb on her like a jungle gym. "Kami, this was so much easier when you didn't know how to walk!" Obito quirked a disbelieving eyebrow at that. His squad had had to take on their fair share of babysitting missions just like any other genin team, and in his opinion the younger they were the more troublesome. Prying a few children off her arms, she brought them together into a familiar seal and suddenly there were twenty of her, each of which picked up a kid or two and Flash-Stepped from the room, leaving only the (semi) adults, Kabuto, and the boy hiding behind the teenage trio. Kabuto, to Obito's amusement, was hiding behind Shuurei now in much the same manor, but giving Nagato looks of doe-eyed awe that spoke of hero-worship.

Shuurei sighed heavily in exhaustion. "I swear to kami that is the most _useful_ jutsu to ever exist, ever. No one will ever be able to persuade me otherwise." She adopted a more serious air. "So, shall we take this to a more comfortable venue, so that we don't disturb Yukanna-sama any more? I do apologize for that, milady. They know full well they're not allowed into your chambers."

The queen, who'd been watched the entire time, was shaking with laughter. "It is no problem. I adore children, and heaven knows I haven't seen anything so entertaining in a decade."

She responded with a sour look. "Glad to be of service." Ushering them all out into the hallway, Shuurei lead them through long corridors and twisting passage ways until they reach one of many (a _great_ deal many) rooms whose walls were covered in bookcases and sat down at the table there, the teenage trio on one side, and Shuurei, Kabuto, and him on the other. The creepy kid made a beeline for the bookcases, ghosting a finger over the spines. Kabuto looked like he wanted to join him, but was too nervous and uncertain (and maybe still a bit shell-shocked) to do so.

"Shuurei-san, what the _hell_ is going on? Were those- are those children all Uzumaki? How are they still alive? Why are they here?" He had an inkling of an idea, and if it is what he thinks it is, then Shuurei is well and truly a genius.

Origami girl's lips thinned into a disapproving line, "language," she scolded, and Obito ducked his head sheepishly before shaking it and returning to staring stubbornly at Shuurei. He wanted answers, damn it!

"First, let's introduce everyone. Obito, this is Nagato, Yahiko," she gestured to the orange haired teen, "and Konan." origami girl gave a polite nod. "Everyone, as you may have guessed, this is Obito Uchiha. As you know, we have been travelling together for a while now and in light of circumstances, I thought it time to bring him here. This little one," she ruffled Kabuto's hair, "is Kabuto Tsumeito, the reason we're here. We ran across him yesterday by accident." There was an utterly disbelieving look on her face, one the trio mirrored when they saw the truth in her expression.

Oh no you don't, don't go careening off into other subjects and avoid telling him what he needed to know. " _Shuurei_ ," he hissed, locking his eye onto hers. "What. The. _Hell?_ " Konan's eye twitched, but she said nothing, though Yahiko glared at him.

She sighed and looked over at the creepy-eyed kid. "Tenzo-kun, could you go to the kitchen and get some tea for us?" The kid smiled at her and nodded, rushing out of the room. She rested her chin on her entwined hands. "Well, as you know I'm a prophet, if very limited in what I see, so I've known my entire life that Uzushio would be destroyed. I knew I had no hope of saving it, especially with the condition I was born with, an extremely slow aging process that's an incredibly rare- but not totally unheard of- characteristic of the Uzumaki clan which caused me to age half as fast as a normal child and stop completely when I reach physical maturity. Thus crippled, I pledged to save what I could of Uzushio's knowledge, copying it's entire library and storing it in sealing scrolls so that when Uzushio burned the knowledge would not be lost. I also dedicated myself to the art of sealing, as with my condition the other arts were beyond my reach at the time, and was recognized as a genius, which is no small praise coming from the Uzumaki. I wanted to save everyone I could when Uzushio fell but I had no idea how I was to go about it, but then one day I was tinkering with the common storage seals in an effort to make scrolls that could store living humans and keep them alive in stasis so that shinobi injured on the battlefield would survive until they reached a healer, when I realized I could use it to save people when Uzushio fell."

"Wait," Obito interrupted, floored, "you can seal people away in a _scroll?_ Seriously? So those kids…"

She scowled. "Don't interrupt! As I was saying, I knew I could use them to save lives when the village fell, but then the question was, where would they go afterwards? I knew that after the village fell, the Uzumaki would be hunted down. Both by the other villages for the threat our sealing prowess poses, and by creepers like Orochimaru and Danzo who'd want to use our unique traits and tremendous chakra for experiments, or to be used as tools and trained into mindless soldiers. At first I thought about taking them to the Land of Iron, an adamantly neutral country cut off from the shinobi nations and incredibly defensive of their borders, but then I realized that even if I could sneak in to drop them off, if _I_ could sneak in, then no doubt it'd be child's play to someone like Orochimaru. Samurai aren't weak, but they don't have our stealth. I was stumped, as I couldn't very well leave them in scrolls until the war was over because they only hold for so long and have an adverse affect on people if they're sealed for too long, but then one day I was thinking over what I knew of the future and recalled Naruto's stay with the Toads while he learned Sage Mode. It proved that, given permission on both sides, humans could stay for extended periods of time in the Summons Realm. It was the perfect solution, completely cut off from the human world, and all I had to do was find a species willing to agree to it. I Reverse Summoned myself to this realm and scoured the land for a peaceable summons- who would, therefore, be unlikely to engage in any sort of conflict and risk the children- and came across the rabbits, sworn pacifists with a love of knowledge and children that have denied human summoners since Tobiraima, and powerful enough to protect them if anyone ever did come after them."

Obito stared at her, awed. "You're a _genius_." he whispered. "How has _no one_ ever thought of this before? Seriously, this is the _perfect_ solution!"

She ducked her head, rubbing at the back of her neck with one hand. "It's not _that_ impressive, I just got the idea from my future knowledge. Not many people even know you can go to the Summons Realm, and only Jiraiya- and maybe one or two others- know about Sage Mode and that you can stay there for extended periods of time. Even then, I bet he never even considered staying here for more than a week or beyond training purposes."

"Don't put yourself down, it was an incredibly intelligent decision." Konan interjected, smiling warmly at her.

"Oh yeah, so where did you guys come in?" As if a blanket had been thrown over the table, the atmosphere darkened and grew much more serious. "Uh, is that a sensitive topic?"

Nagato shook his head, breaking out of his momentary revere. "No, it is not so terrible a tale as it could have been, were Shuurei-san not there to save the ending. We were born in Ame near the end of the second war and grew up during the beginning of the third, though for our country, the Land of Rain, there was very little reprieve between the two. We were a small nation bordering three of the larger ones at war, and as such our country was overwhelmed by the forces of the more powerful nations and made into a battlefield that devastated our land and people, impoverishing us. All three of us were orphaned young and out of necessity we banded together to survive, when one day we came across the Legendary Sannin. Wishing for the strength to defend ourselves and the opportunity to learn to become strong to change our country, we begged them to teach us and one of them, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, agreed. For three years he gave us the skills necessary to become shinobi and then some, honing us until we were a formidable force before leaving to return to Konoha. Once he'd left we started gathering others like us who hated what our country had become and what our selfish leader had done to it, forming a rebel group called Akatsuki."

"Huh?" Obito turned his head to look at Shuurei, bewildered. "But isn't that that evil organization you were telling me about, Shuurei-san?"

Yahiko was the one who answered. "Not originally. Not _our_ Akatsuki. We wanted nothing more than peace in our land, but our intentions were corrupted, our hearts manipulated. You see, Akatsuki was making waves, making a difference. Hanzo was on the ropes, so he called on an agreement he had with Danzo," he spat the name like a curse, "and arranged to have Konan-chan kidnapped. We were surrounded by his forces and he could've killed us in an instant, but he wanted to make a statement, reaffirm his hold on his men, so he told Nagato to choose between me and Konan." he shuddered, closing his eyes with a muted horror evident on his face. Konan threaded her fingers through his and gave them a squeeze, eyes distant, leaning her head against his shoulder to offer comfort.

Nagato, face tight and strained from the effort of reliving the memory, picked up where he left off. "It was the worst moment of my life. The three of us are closer than blooded siblings, and I could not make such a choice. Wracked with indecision, Yahiko decided to make it for me. He… he threw himself forward on my kunai and…" for the first time, Nagato showed actual emotion, his face twisting up in more pain than Obito had ever seen before, with only Shuurei's haunted eyes even coming close. "I thought he had died. I thought," he snaked an arm around Yahiko's waist, sliding his chair closer, "I thought my brother had died, and for an instant…" he trailed off, overcome, taking a second to gather himself before he continued. "You cannot imagine the rage I felt, the horror. My brother, dead at my own hands. Sacrificing himself for our lives, his blood on my hands…."

Sensing that Nagato was lost in his phantoms of the past, Konan patted his shoulder briefly to reassure him before taking up the narrative, looking to Shuurei with eyes that glowed with affection and respect, gratitude. "But then suddenly, Shuurei was there. She leaped onto the battlefield from where she had hidden somewhere nearby and started to heal Yahiko as he was fading. Hanzo ordered his men to strike, but with a single hand sign she made hundreds of clones and took them out all at once, keeping Yahiko alive even as we retreated. She saved him, saved us, and then brought us here where we would be safe, telling us that as long as we stayed in the human realm we would be hunted because of Nagato's eyes."

"We owe her everything." Nagato rasped emotionally, fervently. "Our lives, our futures, my sanity. She saved us from a fate worse than death and gave us a home where we could live in peace, entrusted us with her family. She could've simply killed me right then and there and been rid of us, could've killed us and set my eyes on fire or taken them for herself with no opposition from Hanzo at all. Instead she put her faith in us, gave us a chance she never had to, and faced more than a hundred shinobi at jounin level getting us to safety. She took an arrow to the back and nearly died, pumping all the chakra she had into saving Yahiko." Eyes radiating devotion caught his and Killing Intent leaked, thick and heavy, into the air, a weight on his lungs that made it difficult to breathe. "We would do _anything_ for her. _Anything._ And if you betray the trust she has placed in you, if you do anything to threaten our home or the children, we will do to you what we did to Hanzo. _I_ will kill you _personally_ , do you understand me?"

Obito stared him down, keeping steady with difficulty. "I owe her just as much." he answered, reminding the man of his own history and what he was supposed to have lost. He knew the pain Nagato must've felt in that moment, thinking he'd killed his friend, though a much shallower version than his. With time and distance, exposed as he has been to the real world outside the classroom, he's recognized that he doesn't _love_ Rin, not really. What he'd felt was what one would feel for a friend, or even a sister, that he'd confused for romantic love in the surge of adolescent hormones.

Now _Kakashi_ , on the other hand… well, he'd probably be best letting that one go. It's probably still just the hormones.

(He hopes, he prays, because he doesn't know what he'd do if it were otherwise.)

Like Nagato, he owes Shuurei more than he could ever repay, and the two of them stare each other down, getting each other's measure. There's a moment where both of them see past the façade they so carefully portrayed to the kindred souls underneath, their inherent kindness, their desire to protect others at all costs, their dream of making the world a better place. A different mask, perhaps, a different way of going about it, but the same desire, underneath. The same drive. The same debt.

Obito must have passed Nagato's test, because then the tension- and the KI- is dissipating from the air as they clasped hands over the table, siblings momentarily displaced. They grin at each other, Obito broadly, Nagato barely, because the masks that they wear have become a large part of who they are, but still they smile together in a moment of solidarity.

And in the ensuing silence, there's a sniffle.

Kabuto, forgotten in the intense discussion, started to cry, shaking in terror from the effects of the Killing Intent. Startled, Shuurei wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into her lap, both she and Konan glaring fiercely at Nagato whose eyes widened slightly as he looked down at the hysterical five-year-old. Dropping Obito's hand and extracting himself from his siblings, he crossed to the other side of the table and crouched down to eye level with Kabuto. "I am so sorry, young one. I did not intend to scare you or harm you in any way. I lost control of my emotions. Can you forgive me?"

He didn't speak to Kabuto as one would a child, but treated him as if he were an adult, voice steady and even with only a hint of regret and apology. The ashen-haired child stared into Nagato's eyes as if hypnotized, an expression of wonder on his face, before nodding dazedly, a light blush on his cheeks.

And then the door swung open causing everyone to reach for weapons, still wound up from the discussion, but it was only Tenzo coming back with the tea, stilling briefly as he read the atmosphere before continuing forward with the tray carefully balanced in one hand as the other propped the door open. Konan smiled in thanks and poured everyone a cup, taking a few sips at hers before setting it down and looking at Shuurei. "So, what's the story with this little one? Where did you find him?"

"Ah," she answered, stirring in a spoonful of sugar, "we just happened across him on our travels. We were at the border between Konoha and Hot Springs, which is occupied by Kumo at the moment. I sent Shizuka ahead as a scout and she caught sight of him, broken arm, cracked rib, _nasty_ concussion, unconscious with more than two dozen shinobi fighting nearby. I healed him the best I can, but he doesn't remember anything about his life before the blow to his head and I know for a fact that his mother's dead." Kabuto flinched slightly and Shuurei frowned an apology, resting her chin on his head and nuzzling his hair for a moment. It was strange how she only ever seemed comfortable touching people when they were in need of comfort, probably that her desire to alleviate their distress overwhelmed her aversion to touch. "He has a pendant she used to wear that I recognized as belonging to an old friend of mine- her prized possession, in her family for ages with her chakra inside- and he's obviously a Tsumeito, so of course I can't leave him to some orphanage. But at the same time I can't just drag him everywhere, and we might run into another battle some time and I can't risk him getting hurt so…"

"No!" Kabuto yelled suddenly, panicked. "No! Please don't leave me here with those _monsters!_ " he hissed, staring at the door as if afraid the other children would burst in at any moment.

"They're usually not as bad as they were today, Kabuto. I'm sorry you got hurt in their… enthusiasm. I was a day late checking in, you see, and they were worried about me so they overreacted a little."

He refused to be placated, begging desperately. "Shuurei-san, please don't make me stay here! I want to stay with you, please, please, please, please, _please!_ I'll do _anything!_ "

Shuurei's resolve faltered when faced with Kabuto's desperate puppy-dog eyes, but she held firm. "I'm sorry Kabuto, but where we're going it's too dangerous. Obito-kun can protect himself, but you might get hurt and I couldn't take it if you did. You're the only thing I have left of my best friend."

"They're really sweet children most of the time, Kabuto-kun." Konan interjected, helping out when Shuurei shot her a pleading look.

"No! They're loud and violent and none of them are like _me_." he stressed, adamantly denying their attempts at persuasion. "Please! If I'm not strong enough then make me strong, teach me how to fight! I'm smart, I've got words in my head like from earlier, I know things! You could teach me to heal like you can, I know I can do it and I'll be the best student you ever had, way better than that _dufus_ over there." he said, jerking a thumb at Obito who yelled 'hey!'. "Then if I get hurt I can heal myself and you wouldn't have to worry!" Desperately, Kabuto scanned the faces at the table, looking for support and finding none. "Hey you, Tenzo-kun, help me out!"

Tenzo spun around from where he was examining a shelf, startled. Seeing Kabuto staring at him, pleading for help, and a little nervous from suddenly having all eyes in the room on him, he thought hard for a long minute and seemed just on the verge of rejecting him when something occurred to him. "U-um, well, Shuurei-san, how did you bring the two them here without putting them in a scroll?" Tenzo was aware that using the Live Sealing Scroll- her invention- sometimes caused problems when the people sealed inside already had seals on them, so she refused to use them when that was the case unless it was a dire emergency, and there was a seal clearly visible on Obito's shoulder.

Shuurei blinked, not having expected such an intelligent answer. "Ah, well, I finally worked the kinks out of the people summoning seal I've been working on. Basically, it summons the person whose blood is on it to wherever the summoner is."

"Could you reverse that somehow, or maybe leave one of those with his blood over here and another seal that alerts people when you put chakra into it, so that they can summon him here when there's a battle?" Tenzo reasoned logically, causing the room to gape at him.

Shuurei opened her mouth to say something, then paused to consider it, biting her lip and tilting her head to the side. "That… could actually work. It'd be pretty easy, actually. I already have the hard part worked out with the People Summoning Seal, all I'd have to do is tweak it a little…" she trailed off, eyes glazing over as she considered the logistics of it, hands itching for the ink and scrolls in her satchel.

"So I can stay with you?" he asked, tugging at her sleeve beseechingly.

Shuurei hummed, weighing her options. "I… suppose. But only if you come back with me when I visit your cousins! I teach them the history of Uzushio while I'm here, and you can't miss out on that."

"Yes! Thank you! I'll be the best student ever, shishou!"

"Shishou…?" She stared at him blankly before a slow grin broke out on her face. "Shishou. I think I like that. Obito, from now on I'm your shishou too!"

He blinked, caught off guard. "What…?"

Kabuto pouted adorably, arms crossed over his chest. "No! I'll make a _way_ better student than _him_ , shishou!"

Obito gaped at him indignantly. "No you wouldn't, you're just a kid! I'm way smarter than you!" he protested childishly. What an arrogant little brat!

Kabuto sneered at him. "Says the guy who doesn't know the properties of the hibiscus."

Why that little…! "I just started learning! I only memorized the first chapter, give me a break, you twerp!"

He gasped, face twisting up in frustrated childish anger. "I am not a twerp!

"Yes you are!" Obito replied smugly, triumphant at finally getting a reaction.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Nuh-uh!" He blinked. "Wait…."

"Ha!" Kabuto exclaimed, pointing a victorious finger at Obito. "I _am_ smarter than you, because you just got outsmarted by a five year old! So _there!_ "

"That doesn't mean-"

Eye twitching, vein in her forehead throbbing, she yelled, "That's enough you two!" and smacked Obito on the back of the head.

He yelped and whined, "Why did you only hit me?!"

"Because I expect this from a five year old, but you should really know better. Seriously, Obito." She smiled, but it was a fond smile. "Come on you two, why don't I take you on a tour of the place? There's really a lot to see, this place is _huge_. It has to be with how big some of these rabbits get. They have tunnels that go all over the Summons Realm, though they sealed off most of them to prevent invasions. I had to go around child-proofing them once the tykes all learned how to walk…" She paused suddenly, mid step, and her expression shifted from cheerful reminiscence to grim and serious. She reached into her satchel, pulled out a bright pink scroll, and started gathering chakra. "Incoming."

The two of them blinked at her. "Wha-?" They froze at a low rumbling slowly gaining volume, feeling a dawning horror as they remembered the last time they heard that noise.

But Shuurei was more prepared this time. With a quick flare of chakra she unsealed the contents of the scroll and when the first children shot into view she threw the contents into the masses with careful precision, as if she were wielding kunai instead of candy. From how the children went down, she might as well have been. Then she used the chakra she'd gathered and made two dozen clones that fell into ranks with practiced militaristic precision, forming three lines to block the hallway, each taking on a low, crouched posture like one would when preparing to confront an overwhelming force. Obito thought she was going overboard, but the instant the remaining redheads met the frontline they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Their momentary resistance did stagger a few who weren't expecting it to disappear, but mostly it served to slow the charge such that when they encountered the secondary lines they struggled for much longer before dispelling. Only the third line stopped them completely, and by that time the remainders were thoroughly exhausted and as such didn't immediately leap on Shuurei when they reached them.

"Onee-chan, it isn't fair when you use Shadow Clones to stop us!" cried the leader of the charge, the only one who didn't seem winded from the effort of forcing herself through three ranks of Shadow Clones. She, like the others, had vibrant red hair, but hers was shot through with very small streaks of blonde only noticeable when the sun shone on it creating something of a halo effect when the light hit it just right. She also had large lavender eyes, each with three thin white lines radiating equidistant from the iris.

"Just like it isn't fair to go around popping my clones when they're spending time with the other children. I know you brought them back here just to make trouble, like you did this morning. That isn't very nice Kasumi-chan, especially as I had friends with me that you scared very badly." Shuurei scolded, her tone gentle but firm. "If you act this way, you might lose out on the chance to make some very good friends, and then where would you be?"

Kasumi ducked her head and tensed up her shoulders, abashed, one hand reaching up to rub at the back of her neck before she raised her head and looked up at Obito with a contrite expression. "I'm sorry," she said and then turned to look at Kabuto, "I didn't mean to scare yo-ou…" her breath caught when she saw Kabuto and she sputtered, as if having trouble forming a coherent thought. Instantly her eyes widened and her face turned as red as her hair.

Kabuto didn't seem to notice. "That's okay." he accepted, approving of the way she apologized when she did something bad. He looked up at Shuurei with an impatient expression, wondering why they weren't moving yet and eyeing the others warily when he noticed a few of them starting to recover.

"Uh, no! No, I can't just apologize, you got hurt after all! Let me make it up to you!" she threw out desperately, obviously grasping at straws to find a reason to make him stay. "Oh, I know! Why don't I show you this new technique I learned? None of the other kids can get it but I'm sure you'll be able to pick it up…" He perked up a bit at the mention of a technique, not noticing the amused and outright disbelieving looks being traded behind his back.

"Maybe you can show him later, Kasumi-chan. For now," she raised her voice to project to the rest of the children who were all recovered for the most part, "why don't we show our guests the garden? You have been taking care of it, right?"

At this the children all started chattering enthusiastically all at once.

"Onee-chan, onee-chan, the tomatoes, they're-!"

"…and I don't know why but my lettuce is just-"

"…but my apples are so big! They're already turning red and-"

"… planted some carrots for the bunnies, 'cause bunnies like carrots right? And I gave some to Shinkoku-san and he-"

Shuurei laughed softly, her face lit up, a soft smile playing at her lips. "'Children, children! One at a time. Come on, let's go look at the garden before we go, you can show me yourselves." She ducked her head into the room they just left. "Tenzo-kun, you want to come? I want to see how well you're coming along with your abilities."

"Hai, Shuurei-san!"

"His abilities?" Obito asked curiously as they made their way through the long, airy passageways. Hundreds of rabbits passed them by, all walking on two legs, most carrying stacks of books and wearing the odd article of human clothing here or there. Many of them greeted Shuurei as they walked past or ruffled the hair of one of the children affectionately.

Instead of answering, Shuurei looked at Tenzo questioningly, who nodded his assent at her while slipping his hand into hers. "I told you about how I grafted Hashiraima's DNA onto yours after I stole it from one of Orochimaru's labs, right?" He nodded. "Well, the lab I raided was one he'd abandoned because he'd deemed the Mokuton experiment unsuccessful, but he was wrong. Out of the sixty children he experimented on, one survived, little Tenzo-kun here."

"So wait, you mean Tenzo can use Mokuton?!" Only the First Hokage was ever known to be able to use the Wood Element, it hadn't even shown up once in any of his descendants. He'd turned all of Fire Country from grasslands into forests in the course of a week. It was an S-ranked ability!

"Yes he can, and you can too." she answered casually, seemingly unaware that Obito had stopped dead in the middle of the hallway, gaping at her.

"WHAT?!?" he bellowed, jogging a few steps to catch up.

"Well, I used the same procedure he used on you. It's the reason I was there in the first place. Once your chakra system settles, you'll be able to use Mokuton." Stopping in front of a door, she threw it open wide to let in blinding sunlight as the children pushed past her and outside.

Woah. Unreal! Everything was giant, like he'd been shrunk to the size of a bug! Surrounding them was grass taller than the spires of the Warren and as wide as a building, with absolutely massive flowers peeking over the tops. Giant tulips and dandelion puffs, bluebells and clover flowers bigger than a full-grown tree!

"Oh, Tenzo-kun, have you been watching over my herb garden like I asked? It needs a bit more care than I can give it only stopping by every once in a while like I have been." she asked, following the children into an enclosed area of relatively normal-sized plants growing in small plots.

"Hai! They've been doing very well. I think the basil is ready to be picked and the angelica is already flowering." Tenzo replied as Shuurei sank to her knees, carefully looking over plants in the largest plot, plucking an errant weed here or there.

"You're right, but I think I'll give the basil another week or so."

"Is that… calendula? And… arnica?" Kabuto asked, kneeing next to her and studying the plants with a calculating eye. "You grow your own herbs?

"Yeah, the herbs I grow here are easily twice as effective as anything you can find back in the human realm, though I'd appreciate if you keep that to yourself. Would you two like to have your own gardens too? It'd certainly help with keeping our supplies stocked up. I've been stockpiling herbs myself, in case of an… emergency." Her mouth thinned at that, eyes narrowing. So she's preparing for something specific, some emergency she's seen in the future.

"I'd love one!" Kabuto enthused, obviously excited, especially when she handed him a bunch of seed packets with the pictures of the plants they'd grow into that she'd pulled out of her satchel of wonders. He started rifling through them, muttering under his breath.

"Hey, how does Kabuto know so much about herbs, anyway?" Obito pouted, a bit miffed that the kid kept showing him up. "He's like, five for kami's sake!"

"Someone must've been training him." She stood up, grabbing at a watering can and bending down to feel up the soil at the base of the herbs before watering them. "It isn't that surprising really, the Tsumeito were a clan that were naturally suited to becoming medic-nin. They had incredible chakra control and amazing regenerative abilities equal to the Uzumaki, except that instead of having massive reserves to help speed along the process it was more that they had small reserves that regenerated quickly, so even if they exhausted all their chakra they'd be good in like, half a day, where a normal person would be laid up for a week and an Uzumaki would be perfectly fine in two days."

"Really?" Kabuto looked up at her with wide eyes, a smear of dirt on his nose from where he'd been happily and expertly nosing about the plants, doing various things that Shuurei appraised with a watchful eye, nodding approvingly.

"Yep. If your father was a Tsumeito too, then he'd have been training you since you were very young."

"Huh, a clan kid. No wonder he's such a know-it-all." Obito muttered under his breath. Kabuto to threw him a dirty look.

Using a trowel to uproot a particularly stubborn weed, she commented, "You know you're a clan kid too, right? Grab that bag of fertilizer for me."

Straining his back, he straightened with a wince, a huge bag of fertilizer on his shoulder. "You kidding me? They thought I was weak so I was basically a second class citizen to them. They wouldn't waste any resources on someone so _useless_."

She frowned at him sadly and then her gaze sharpened, studying him carefully. "You shouldn't be having trouble carrying that, your physical condition has deteriorated way too much while you were recovering." Sighing, she dug a hand in her hair and pulled lightly, heedless of the fine trails of dirt she left behind. "We have so much to work on. Not only do we have to work on your chakra control from scratch, we have to build up your muscle strength and recondition the entire right side of your body to match the left, teach you to use Mokuton and your Sharingan, and drill the basics into you because obviously they didn't do a very good job at the Academy. Every time I turn around there's something else we need to do."

Wow, and didn't that sound familiar. He hung his head. That's what the Uchiha tutors told him when he was just a little too slow to learn the clan taijutsu, when they deemed him a 'waste of resources' and told him to stop showing up, not to bother because he'd never hack it as a ninja anyway. That's what his Academy instructor told him when he realized Obito didn't already know how to read at six years old and the rumors started making their rounds that he was the hopeless dead-last who'd never amount to much of anything. Even Minato-sensei told him something similar, though he didn't give up like all his other teachers and helped him out outside of team practices. Not even he could do all that much, because he had responsibilities himself and he couldn't afford to be spending hours every day reteaching him things the Academy instructors didn't bother.

"Well, don't worry about it too much. We have all the time in the world and I bet after we get you up to snuff, you'll be unstoppable. I'll make you into one of the strongest shinobi in the world. I am your shishou after all." He was glad she wasn't looking at him, so she didn't see him wiping at his eyes.

"Onee-chan, look at this one!" A grinning four-year old with a missing front tooth came running up, all excited, holding up a huge tomato bigger than both of her cupped hands put together.

"Oh-ho! This is one heck of a tomato, isn't it sweetheart? Maybe you can get Konan to make some spaghetti tonight."

"You think so? Yay!"

Obito frowned, trying to think if he'd ever heard the word before. "Spaghetti? What's that? I've never heard of it before."

He instantly regretted asking the question when it brought him to her attention. She cocked her head to the side and considered him, studying him curiously. For a second he was afraid she'd be scared off by the scars and scream, but oh no, she did something worse.

She started asking questions.

"Mister, are you a _shinobi?_ " she asked, her eyes two full moons.

Shinobi was the magic word. Suddenly he was surrounded by chattering four-year-olds, all bombarding him with questions.

"Can you teach me a super cool jutsu?"

"Do you have any cool stories? Have you gone on any dangerous missions?"

"Where did you get the scars, was it a jutsu? Was it a big bad guy?"

"What kind of places have you seen? What's Konoha like?"

One of them tugged at his sleeve, trying to pull him away. "Can you help me with my taijutsu?"

"No! show me how to throw kunai!" whined a blue-eyed girl, grabbing at his other hand.

And then they were swarming all over him, yanking on his clothes so hard the seams started tearing. Shuurei stood just outside the danger zone, watching in satisfied amusement. "Shishou, help meeeeeee!"

She shook her head, pulling Kabuto to her side. "I don't think so, Obito. After all, _I_ don't have a death wish." Bringing her hands together in a familiar seal, she teased, "Don't worry, I'll summon you back… in an hour or so. Maybe. Release!" With a small surge of chakra she released her Summons Clone, disappearing in a puff of smoke laughing at Obito's squawk of protest. A second later, Kabuto disappeared as well, leaving behind a sulky Kasumi who took out her frustration on the closest available target, leading the charge on Obito.

 _Two_ hours later, Obito returned to the human realm with his clothes in tatters and a healthy fear of Shuurei's wrath and the curiosity of red-headed four-year-olds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you guys think? Comments, suggestions, incomprehensible squeeing? Lay 'em on me, people!
> 
> Damn, I almost doubled my word count on this one! 10,000 words... took FOREVER to write. Wish me luck on the next one! Probably going to be doing a bit of a time skip and probably a POV change, stay tuned!


	4. Family Matters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here it is. Sorry for the wait, but this chapter just didn't want to be written! Hopefully the content will make up for the agonizingly long time it took to write. Not exactly where I thought I was going with this either, but we'll see... just tell me if it works or not.

Chiyo Kyoakuna has lived to a ripe old age relying on her innate intelligence and conditioned resourcefulness, but she's lived long enough to know that often the deciding factor on whether or not you live to see another day is luck. Things as small as a well-placed rock, a gust of wind, the color of your clothing, or a timely sneeze can spell your death if they're lined up at just the right moment. Living to old age as an active shinobi is the equivalent of winning the lottery, and even Kage rarely live to see fifty. Even after fighting in three shinobi wars, Chiyo survived. Lived where hundreds and thousands of friends and comrades fell, men and women better than her, stronger than her, people that by all means should have outlived her, and they died where she survived.

Her son wasn't as lucky.

Chiyo has lived through three wars, fought in the front lines and witnessed the very depths of human depravity. Indoctrinated into the old values and ideals of shinobi life at a young age, she's long since lost her faith in humanity, learned to scoff at words like kindness and mercy and never hesitate to kill if necessary. All you can do in this world is survive, survive and look out for number one. Empty words like friend and comrades mean nothing, pretty lies to hide betrayal and greed. That's what she believed.

Until she met Shuurei.

It was near the end of the Second Shinobi World War, when it seemed like everyone was an enemy and every day found another dozen names added to the KIA lists. Despite that, things were looking up. Suna had made an alliance with Konoha and just won a crucial battle against Iwa over essential trade routes and supply lines that cut them off from Kumo, and it felt like all of Suna was celebrating. 'The end of the war!' they whispered, though Chiyo was skeptical. Konoha? Did they not remember how Konoha betrayed them at the end of the first war, in a situation just like this? _Konoha,_ bah! An alliance like that wouldn't last long. Why do they need Konoha anyway? Suna is strong! Konoha's just waiting for the first opportunity to screw them over.

Still, it was a fact that the war was winding down, the fighting getting less intense, and she allowed herself to relax slightly. Stopped worrying about her son and his wife quite so much. Sure, they weren't the strongest of shinobi, only high chunin at best and not likely to ever be made jounin, but they were intelligent. They were resourceful. She beat that into them herself. They'd be fine.

A routine mission, that what it was supposed to be, but it ended with her son and wife dead along with an entire platoon of Suna shinobi, and the only survivor pointing fingers at Konoha, saying it was Konoha's very own White Fang that ambushed them on their routine patrol. Her son is dead, dead by treachery and betrayal and _they should have known better!_ She _warned them!_ Every Council meeting she argued furiously against accepting, but the Council members, all the ones with the most power, the greatest influence, they were too young to remember Konoha's sly cunning and underhanded deals. They ignored her and _what happened?_ They were _betrayed_ , betrayed and _her son_ paid the price, her _grandson_ and god, she's too old to raise him, how is she going to manage and- _god, he's never going to know his father_. Her grandson is going to grow up an _orphan_ and what did they do? How did Suna react? _They gave them a pass!_ They _accepted the treaty anyway_ and she thought Suna was _better_ than this! She's _done_ , she's retiring, she refuses to serve a village as weak-willed and _soft_ as it has obviously grown to be and her grandson _needs_ her. Fifty years old, four decades as a shinobi, and she deserves to retire.

But then one day, two weeks after she found her son's name on the KIA lists, a little red-haired girl from Uzushio shows up at the gates toting her half-dead son and daughter-in-law on her shoulders and looking fairly battered herself. Apparently she and her genin squad had been on their way back from a C-rank escort mission when they got caught up in the fight. Her jounin sensei got them out of there as soon as he was able, but Shuurei found Chiyo's son and daughter still alive and left her team with a Shadow Clone so she could bring them back to Suna. She carried them home through _warzones_ for two weeks and it _didn't make sense._ _Why_ would she go to such lengths for a stranger from a different village? They questioned her, of course, and she played it as a genin's hopeful naiveté and honoring the tentative alliance between Suna and Konoha- and by extension Uzushio- but Chiyo knew there was more to it. The girl was far more intelligent than a mere _genin,_ but she wasn't under a henge and she didn't do anything _wrong_ \- even if she wanted them to keep quiet so her team didn't know she took such a risk- so they let her go. Later when they woke up- disabled, they will never be shinobi again, but so blessedly _alive_ \- they revealed that it wasn't an ambush that started the conflict but a few of their own turned traitor that initiated the fight and then lured in a nearby Konoha patrol. Traitors, and heaven knows how deep the conspiracy goes. Immediately the Kazekage had those he trusts explicitly launch an investigation, though Chiyo still doesn't know about the results to this day. She wouldn't even know about it if she hadn't been the first one they told when they regained consciousness. Needless to say, though, that Suna's ranks went through some extensive renovations after that.

Chiyo was old, yes. Old and hide-bound and with far more honor than such a seasoned veteran should have, and she recognized a debt to be paid. Even though the whole incident gave her goosebumps and made her instincts light up brighter than a Konoha training ground doused in oil, she promised the girl that if she ever needed something, she need only ask. The girl was startled- _genuinely_ shocked- and actually tried to deny that Chiyo owed her anything. It was all her own decision, she said, her own stubbornness and bleeding heart- _they kept moaning about their baby_ \- so she should just forget about it. Chiyo was already cross and uncomfortable admitting it, irritable from staying up all night healing all three of them- apparently one of Shuurei's nicks was poisoned- so she snapped at the girl and made her promise to keep it in mind.

Over the years, she's kept to that promise. Honored that debt. When Shuurei sends her an owl _asking politely_ for her services, she never refuses, ever. Because no matter how many favors she asks, it'll never be enough to repay her for the lives of her son and his wife, for the smile on her grandson's face when he sits on his father's knee and listens to the story of the crazy little red-haired girl that carried them all the way back to Suna. At first she seethed in righteous indignation at being in debt to a girl from Uzushio, Konoha's self-titled sister village. She was sure Shuurei would use the opportunity to leverage her into something, try to turn her into a spy against Suna or turn traitor. Why else would she save her son specifically? She must've known who they were related to, how influential Chiyo is as the Chief Medic of Sunagakure, one of the best medic-nin in the world, and seen an opportunity.

But it seemed that her spontaneous, irrational altruism wasn't limited to her son or her village. Or any village, really. All Shuurei ever asked from her were some medical texts on _normal_ healing methods- because apparently Uzushio shinobi all work through seals because of the chakra overload, who knew?- and to heal a few people whose injuries were beyond her skill. None of them came from Uzushio. She brought in an orange-haired kid from _Ame,_ for Kami's sake, and spent an entire week hovering at his bedside looking like it was her best friend lying there, dying, and not the complete stranger the other two insisted she was when Chiyo questioned them out of curiosity. Came to her with a half-healed arrow wound to the back that punctured her lung, and all she cared about was if the brat would be okay. Who _does_ that? Who cares that much about a _stranger?_

Chiyo doesn't understand how someone could live and fight in a war, watch their entire village be razed to the ground, and come out of it crying for complete strangers. She cannot _fathom_ what it takes to stay whole and relatively sane after having your whole world- everything you love- destroyed, to still have so much faith in humanity that the sincerity is practically coming off of her in waves. Yes, after Uzushio fell she got good at hiding it, but all anyone needs to do is look in her strange, bright green-gold eyes to see her inherent kindness. A few years ago she would've sneered at that word and the actions related to it, but after meeting Shuurei she's slowly begun to revise her ideas on what it means to be a shinobi.

So when she received a message late at night from one of Shuurei's summons about a patient in need of her skill, she immediately sent back a confirmation, even though the timing couldn't be worse.

She met them at the gates two days after the missive, and hadn't _that_ been a surprise, her two little midget tag-alongs. All of them were under a genjutsu disguise, of course, until she brought them into a secure location- her own private workroom- and they dropped the jutsu. At first she'd thought the black-haired kid was her patient, because the scars on his body were horrific and obviously only in the beginning stages of recovery. Her hands fairly itched to see what methods the girl used to help him survive what even Chiyo admitted to herself should've been fatal, but then it turns out that her patient is someone far more interesting than even that.

"Chiyo-san, I… have to ask you a favor. A _really big_ favor. If you agree, then you can consider whatever debt you think you still owe me paid in full because this is pretty huge." Shuurei rung her hands in her shirt, uncharacteristically nervous. The black-haired brat was also pretty tense, something she'd originally put down to being in a strange village secretly consorting with a strange shinobi, but now wasn't so sure. The grey-haired brat seemed to be immune to it, though, if the way he'd wandered over to her bookcase and started poking at her medical texts (and how old _was_ the kid anyway, that he was actually reading them?) was anything to judge by.

"I doubt that," she snorted. "Come on girl, spit it out. And while you're at it, tell me what's up with Scarface over there." the scarface in question twitched and shot her an irritated look at the nickname. Oooh, _feisty._

"Oh, that's Shima-kun and it's kind of a long story. But first, do you mind if I put up some more privacy seals?" Shuurei asked, holding out a scroll with green striped edges.

Her eyebrow twitched upwards at that. "Paranoid, are you? Whatever. Go ahead."

The room secured, she took a deep breath and brought out one of her Live Sealing Scrolls and with a swipe of blood, released the person inside.

There, on the floor of her study, was the Fourth Hokage, frozen moments before his death with a fist-sized hole in the middle of his chest.

Decades of medic training and experience had her kneeling at his side, running diagnostic jutsu on him before she even really had time to process the situation. What she found wasn't promising. Thankfully the wound was on the right side of his chest, missing the heart and the spine, but it punctured his right lung and the fact that he was missing a large chunk of flesh made this infinitely harder for her because instead of simply closing the edges of the wound and knitting back together the flesh beneath it she'd actually have to regrow the missing tissue.

"Shuurei," she growled, beyond irritated, "what the hell is going on? Why is the _Yondaime_ dying on my floor? And- is that bijuu chakra? He has chakra poisoning, though I bet you knew that already!"

"Konoha was attacked when I was in the area, looking to visit a cousin of mine. Somehow the Kyuubi got loose and Hokage-sama here was partially impaled on one of his claws. My little apprentice over here," she smiled at Shima whose expression turned even more grim and depressed than before, "managed to hold it off with some newly discovered abilities or it would've been even worse. As it is, he's probably the only reason he's still alive."

"I froze. I froze and I didn't get-" he hesitated, glancing at Chiyo out of the corner of his eye, "-didn't get the little blondie out of there fast enough. If I had, sen-Hokage-sama wouldn't have had to protect him and-"

Shuurei sighed and wacked the back of his head, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Enough with the self-pity, Shima-kun. You _saved_ him. Anyone would've frozen in that situation, and several seasoned shinobi a decade older than you _did._ It would've been worse if you hadn't been there. We wouldn't have this chance to save him without your intervention, so shut up and get over it. We have a delicate situation on our hands." She knelt down next to her, rocking back on her heels slightly and turning her head to look Chiyo in the face directly. "I know you have a grudge against Konoha after what happened with your son, but I really need your help on this, and you can't tell anyone. Not a single soul. I- you don't owe me anything, Chiyo-san, and you never did no matter what you believe. You have no obligation to save him, so I'm asking you this as a friend."

"A friend, eh?" Chiyo replied, cracking a grin. That's- true, isn't it? She's really gotten to know this strange little red-haired kunoichi over the years, and grown to respect her sincerity and incredible determination, even if she can't understand the motivation for it. "I don't really have a problem with Konoha, not anymore. Not after we found out some of our own were sabotaging our relations with them. I don't know if I ever told you, but it was traitors who set up the ambush that almost killed my son, though if you ever bring the White Fang here I won't be responsible for my actions."

"Really…" Shuurei murmured, eyebrows kneading together, eyes narrowing consideringly.

Kneading her forehead with a sigh, she lamented Shuurei's timing. Namikaze's healing will be very chakra intensive, and while normally this wouldn't be a problem, Chiyo has a situation of her own she needs to monitor and she isn't sure she has the chakra and the time to spare for something like this. Then again… this might be the perfect solution. "Fine. I'll heal him, but you have to help me as well. Let's trade a secret for a secret."

"Deal." she agreed easily, showing just how desperate she was for Namikaze to survive by not even asking for the terms before she agreed like any half-way decent or marginally intelligent shinobi would. "Anything. What do you want me to do?"

Chiyo hesitated, aware that what she was about to say would be hard for Shuurei.

"Chiyo-san? What is it? Why are you making that face?"

"Shuurei… Kurara… Kurara died two weeks ago."

Upon delivering such horrible news, she'd expected shock, denial, grief, and maybe even little anger towards the people who couldn't keep her favorite aunt alive. What she hadn't expected was for that anger to be directed inwards, as if her aunt's death was a personal failing of hers, or for the instant acceptance and resignation of the fact, as if she knew this was coming and was mad at herself for not having stopped it beforehand. She'd been very close to Kurara from childhood, because although Kurara was technically her aunt they were around the same age and were fairly close childhood friends, so much so that they'd kept in touch even when Kurara's parents decided they wanted to move to her father's homeland. Chiyo was half convinced that she'd picked up the Bird Summoning Contract just to make it easier to keep in touch, especially when she started wandering the nations looking for Uzushio survivors, though admittedly the communications between the two had stopped when the fighting really escalated near the end of the Third Shinobi War. She'd started sending letters to Chiyo's husband as well before he died in the war, when she learned he was also an Uzumaki, and thus made Chiyo aware of this family correspondence.

At this point Chiyo considered her extended- if distant- family, and Kurara's brats were practically her grandchildren at this point. A relationship she wouldn't have had if Shuurei hadn't pointed out that they were technically related. That made Kurara's decision- and yes, it _was_ her decision in the end, because neither Rasa nor the Council forced her into it- all the more painful. Rasa had been optimistic, but both Kurara and herself had known the probable fate of the mother in such a procedure. That didn't mean she didn't try like hell to keep her alive when Gaara was born, though, and it made just that much harder to bear when she failed in the end. Both in keeping Kurara alive, and in giving her son a flawed seal.

Which is what she wanted Shuurei's help with.

What made this situation so perfect- well, the _solution_ so perfect, because the situation was horrible on both sides- was that normally Chiyo wouldn't be allowed to tell an outsider like Shuurei who their jinchuriki is even if the outsider in question was somewhat related to the Kazekage, but with this to hold over her if she were ever to breathe a word of what exactly Gaara is Chiyo could, in good conscience, ask Shuurei to fix Gaara's seal. And with it being _Shuurei,_ already known to the Kazekage as his wife's family, it wasn't likely he'd object. It was already well known that she's a fuinjutsu _genius_ after all.

Though she did really want to know what incredibly unlikely series of events lead to her absconding with Konoha's current Hokage.

Shutting her eyes tightly in a pained expression, she blinked once, hard, eyes suspiciously wet, before she got a hold of her self, remarkably steady for someone receiving such news. "How?" was all she asked, voice rough with emotion.

"She died in childbirth, giving birth to Suna's newest jinchuriki, Gaara. They… they sealed the Ichibi into him before he was born and the trauma of birth wrecked havoc on her pathways until…"

Chiyo watched her iron-tight self-control waver, her lower lip starting to tremble slightly, her breathing picking up speed, the clenching and unclenching of her fists, before she went still. Too still. And walked calmly over to the nearest wall and slammed her fist in it hard enough for it to crack and some of the sandstone to crumble and fall away as dust. "And she kept it from me, too. She… she knew I would've tried to stop her but- goddamn it! I'm a fucking Seals Master! I could've made a better seal that wouldn't kill her when the little gaki was born! Why didn't she- but she must've thought I'd try to talk her out of it and I _would have,_ too, because sealing a _bijuu_ in an _unborn baby?_ That's fucking stupid! Of all the stupid, moronic, idiotic, bone-headed…" She continued on in that vein until her cursing devolved into labored breathing that eventually morphed into heaving sobs. "You _fool!_ You stubborn, selfless, impossible _fool._ Always putting everyone else before you, huh? Your parents, your husband, your kids, your _village…_ and you never once thought of yourself and now you're _gone, dead_ because of it!"

"Shuurei…" the back-haired brat started hesitantly, hand hovering just over her shoulder as if not sure his comfort would be welcome right then. Then he seemed to steel up his resolve and threw caution to the wind, catching her in a hug around her waist. She tensed, like Chiyo expected her to, but then to her surprise she thawed, leaning into the touch with a small, sad smile, patting his hand in a silent thanks.

Brave, that one, to hug a jounin-level shinobi when they're emotionally distressed. People have died from startling a shinobi at the wrong moment, and that he was not only still alive after hugging _Shuurei_ \- who's leery of any kind of physical touch she doesn't initiate herself- but that his comfort was _appreciated_ spoke volumes about how much she trusted the kid.

"I- okay, yes. I'll do it. I would've insisted on looking over the seal myself anyway. Just- kami, what a burden to put on such a young child. Let's go now. I assume you want me to tweak the seal first, so you can be sure I won't just run off with the Hokage once he's healed?"

Chiyo snorted. "Like you'd ever do _that._ You're far too honorable to even think of doing something like that, but… yes, I'd like it if you could take a look at Gaara as soon as possible because if there _is_ something wrong with the seal, I'm worried what effects it'll have on a developing child. The early days are always the most important, after all. How long will the stasis seal on Namikaze last?"

"Forever." Shuurei replied, so nonchalantly it made Chiyo feel like a fool for gaping at her. "What? I've tweaked it so it's a self-perpetuating seal, drawing on the nature chakra in the environment to keep going. It took me a while- almost seven years, in fact- but I finally figured out how to include nature chakra in my seals. It really is something completely different to work with than human chakra, doesn't like to be manipulated and most of the time tries to break away to do its own thing when you use the raw form, but I found that if you convert it to something almost human-like immediately on pulling it into the seal it'll do what you want without too much fuss. Not that I can use it much in the majority of my seals- I don't have enough control over it for that, yet- but stasis seals are easy and simple enough to add it in."

"I… see." Chiyo replied in a tone of voice that said she really didn't. Fuinjutsu of this level was far, _far_ out of her depth, and she'd never even _heard_ of nature chakra before except as being credited for miracles and the greatest mysteries of the shinobi world. Sometimes she forgot just how brilliant and… exotic Shuurei could be. And unpredictable. She has the _Hokage_ dying under a stasis seal on the cot in her private workroom, after all.

Before they went it to see him, Shuurei asked Chiyo if there was anyone she could leave her little silver-haired brat with, as she didn't want to be exposed to bijuu chakra if she could help it. Shima, with his Uzumaki-infused chakra (and wouldn't she just _love_ to hear how _that_ happened), should be fine, but if some bijuu chakra did escape while she was tampering with the seal, she wanted the defenseless four-year old as far away as possible, so they stopped by Chiyo's house, the Kyoakuna Complex, before they went to the Tower and left the kid with her grandson- thirteen years old now, and already a jounin, she's so proud- and her brother. The moment the kid- did she even get his name? She didn't think so- heard that Sasori is a puppet-master he'd immediately started plying him with surprisingly intelligent questions on how they worked and were operated, much to the bewildered panic of Sasori who was… well, she'd been worried about his anti-social tendencies for a while now. He'd thrown her a pleading look, clearly asking for her help getting some breathing room. She promptly ignored him and left him to his fate. It'd be good for him. And if it kept the kid from finding out what _her_ specialty is…

Well, that's just an unexpected bonus.

Shuurei hesitated slightly when entering the Kazekage Tower- probably nervous to be in a foreign nation's base of operations- where baby Gaara was currently being kept as close to the Kazekage as possible so he could better contain it if the seal were to falter and the Ichibi broke out. At least, that's how he rationalized it to everyone that so much as looked at the boy sideways when they went to report in to their Kage for missions and the like. It was obvious he was a little… strange around him. Obsessively overprotective and distant at the same time, clearly still trying to get over his wife's death and avoiding interacting with the living reminder of that, even if he was too paranoid to let Gaara out of his sight. Honestly, Chiyo was more than a little worried about that and promised herself she'd keep an eye on the little gaki in repentance for what she did to Kurara.

While they were waiting for an audience with Kazekage-sama to ask for permission, Shima asked Shuurei about her relationship to Suna. "You have family here, shishou?"

Shuurei snorted. "I have family _everywhere_ Shima-kun." she replied, sinking into one of the chairs in the waiting room. "The Uzumaki clan… wasn't like most clans are. We were always a _family_ before we were a military power, and Whirlpool was founded on that principal. Our clan _founded_ the village, and all but a few small clans- and the Tsumeito, I suppose, they were pretty big- made up the majority of our shinobi. Most kekei genkai are recessive traits with a low probability of being carried on, which is why some of the stuffier clans are so rigid about not marrying outside the clan, but the Uzumaki are different. Our genetic quirks are dominant, to the point where you can still see our trademark scarlet hair and variations thereof many generations after a single Uzumaki ancestor, so it wasn't necessary to be so strict about things like marriage. Family is the most important thing to us with love as a close second, so when someone fell in love outside our- _very small_ \- village, we didn't make too much of a fuss about it if they decided to move away. Hell, we _encouraged_ it, because as small as Whirlpool was we didn't have the widest selection of partners we weren't related to and were none to fond of inbreeding when we had no need for it. Add that to the fact that any Uzumaki kids were guaranteed to have above average chakra reserves even three generations down the line and give a boost to kekei genkai if the suitor in question belonged to a clan, and no village ever had a problem with an Uzumaki marrying into their village. Our clan was practically premium, and sometimes even political treaties we made with other countries hinged on an arranged marriage with an Uzumaki. That's why Mito-sama originally went to the Leaf, to marry the First Hokage and hopefully pass on his Mokuton genes since there was a much better chance they'd be inherited when paired with the Uzumaki bloodline, though that didn't end up working out. Finding out from her example that we make the best jinchuriki only ended up making us seem even more desirable as marriage candidates, hence situations like with Namikaze's wife where Uzumaki children are taken to foreign villages to become jinchuriki."

Shima blinked, looking like he'd just been hit over the head with a history book. "Wow… the Uzumaki are kind of awesome."

Shuurei smirked. "Sure are." she chirped, but then her smile dimmed a little. "Which is why we were annihilated at the start of the Third Shinobi War. All of that, paired off with our advanced fuinjutsu skills…" she winced, and forced the pained expression from her face. "But anyway, yeah. It lead to our clan being pretty well spread out throughout the Elemental Nations, and thus situations like this. Though most of my other relatives probably have no idea of their Uzumaki ancestry at all, or what it means since we were such a small village. It's different with me and Kurara because we were so close when she moved out of the village that we decided to keep in touch, and since my village was destroyed she, Chiyo-san, and their kids are pretty much all the family I have left at the moment, so like hell am I going to lose touch with them, even while I wander the nations looking for other Uzushio survivors."

He was thoughtful for a moment, thinking that through, and then made an aborted gesture to touch the scarred half of his face and asked, "Is that why I-?"

"Yes, probably." Shuurei answered hastily, cutting him off with a sideways look at Chiyo. "That's probably why it was so easy to… adapt. My chakra probably meshed well with the… procedure, being distantly related and all. Plus, our base… abilities, have the same regenerative qualities, which made it even easier once I pumped you full of it."

Well, obviously they were keeping something secret. Chiyo pouted a bit, put out by the fact that she won't be getting the chance to find out what it was Shuurei did to the boy to allow him to recover from such traumatic injuries, and was still sulking when the door to the Kazekage's office opened, revealing that he'd just been in a conference of some sort with his advisors. She sighed, already bracing herself for his inevitable foul mood since he's probably been having to deal with them all day, on top of some pretty obvious sleep deprivation. He really didn't look well, and she knew that it was from having to deal with the flare-ups of the Ichibi's chakra every night. Pale skin- well, _paler_ skin than usual, they _were_ in a desert after all- dark bags under his eyes, and sharper features than usual, bones prominent and easier to see since he's been steadily losing weight even before Kurara died. In the last month of her pregnancy he was so busy worrying about her that he started to neglect himself, and when she actually died he started eating less and less. Yes, Chiyo is _very_ concerned about that family of three. Well, four she supposed, with Kurara's stepsister on her father's side. Lovely woman really, very good with the children, but she's a kunoichi above all else- an _active_ one at that- so she's out of the village fairly often and harbors some obvious and predictable resentment towards Rasa that may end up becoming an issue between them later on in that she might influence the kids to be resentful of their father when they get old enough to what it was, exactly, that happened to their mother.

'What a family.' she thought with a mental sigh, and then her lips twitched upwards at an amusing thought. 'Rasa's probably the only father in existence that prays that his newborn _doesn't_ sleep through the night.'

Shuurei took one look at Rasa and saw the same damn thing, and she wasn't afraid to tell him off over it either. "Rasa-sama," Chiyo started at such an unrepentantly frank use of his actual name, wondering when the hell she missed them getting this close when he didn't snap at her for it, "what the _hell_ have you been doing to yourself? You have three kids and a village to watch out for! You're doing no one any favors moping around like this. If Kurara could see you now you know full well she'd tell you off for it."

Rasa flinched at the mention of his dead wife's name, glancing back into his office at the crib in the corner as they filed in. "Shuurei-san, this is… rather unfortunate timing. We have a bit of an issue going on right now of a confidential nature, so-"

"I already know about it." she cut him off with a wave of her hand. Seeing his irate glare towards Chiyo, Shuurei reassured him. "Don't worry about it, we traded a secret for a secret, a service for a service, and insurance for if I ever do end up spilling to a foreign shinobi what exactly Gaara is. Did you really think you could hide it from me, anyway? I'm an Uzumaki, I could sense that seal the moment I entered the building on top of the fact that it's leaking bijuu chakra like a colander under a running faucet, and if you thought you could keep me away from the kids and out of Suna when Kurara's _dead,_ well, you have another thing coming."

If it were anyone else, Chiyo knew for sure and certain Rasa would've had their hide for being so disrespectful, but Shuurei is an Uzumaki and from his wife and her parents he knew this blunt frankness was just part of the territory, even if Kurara was polite and soft-spoken for the most part. He _did_ pinch the bridge of his nose and grimace as if he were in pain, though, and Chiyo came forward a few steps, gathering medical chakra in her hand and waiting for his acknowledgement before soothing the pounding migraine there.

Eyebrows knitting together, she stepped forward to do the same, running a diagnostic on him and coming back with an even more worried expression. "Rasa-sama, what have you done to yourself? Exhaustion, malnutrition, and chronic chakra exhaustion, this is _not good._ I don't care if the very thought of food makes you nauseous and you have to shove it down your throat, you better start eating soon or I'm putting an IV in your arm and loading you with enough anesthesia to knock you out for a week. To those three kids you're _all they've got_ now, you understand me? What do you think Kurara would say if you left them all alone because you were too busy grieving to take care of yourself?"

His expression stayed blank as it ever was, but his gaze moved to the far corner of the room where Gaara's crib was and stayed there, as if he couldn't look her in the eyes. "Shuurei, I'm sorry." Chiyo was shocked. Rasa is a proud man, for him to apologize to someone- especially someone who doesn't belong to Suna- is unthinkable, a minor miracle. He must really respect her, and with an excessively practical man like him that judges everything with an objective eye by it's value, that isn't something that's easy to obtain.

The irritation in her expression softened, leaving behind pure worry and grief. "I know. I understand why you didn't go to me, Rasa-san. You couldn't reveal such an important secret to someone outside the village without compromising security, but _you should have anyway._ It's not just about Kurara's life, but Gaara's safety and putting the whole village itself in danger. Chiyo's skills are negligible at best- sorry Chiyo-san-"

"It's fine, I know full well they are."

"-her skills are negligible at best and bijuu sealing is a _very_ complicated branch of fuinjutsu that very few know anything about. If she'd made one mistake that night, it wouldn't have been just Kurara that suffered for it. She could've set the Ichibi loose in Suna, and not even your golden sand would restrain it long enough for her to seal it again. Plus, doing this so young has an incredible amount of risks even if done _properly,_ there's no need for you to seal it into an unborn infant. Why the hell didn't you wait until he was at least separated from Kurara before you sealed him?"

"But Shuurei-san," Chiyo interjected, "the younger they're sealed, the better the jinchuriki adapts to the bijuu."

Shuurei kneaded her forehead as if she was the one who had a headache now. "That may be, but a few months of growth won't make the slightest difference so it's unnecessary to risk the mother like that. In fact, it's so much harder to do since you can't put the seal on the baby directly before it's born!" Sighing through he nose, she shook her head and looked over at the crib in the corner. "Alright, let's see what we've got. Shima-kun, get over here. This is a rare learning opportunity."

"Hai, shishou!" he saluted cockily, glancing curiously at the Kazekage out of the corner of his eye.

"He's your apprentice?" Rasa inquired, giving the black-haired boy a measuring look.

"Yep." she answered distractedly, leaning over the crib, and then- "Oh kami, he's adorable!" she cooed, nudging his tiny little fist until he gripped her finger. He is, too, the cutest baby she's ever seen, including her own grandchild. "Hey there, Gaara-kun! Nice to meet you, I'm your Shuurei-oba-chan. Now, let's take a look at that seal, shall we?"

Lifting his shirt, she put her hand on Gaara's cubby little belly and channeled the tiniest bit of chakra while Gaara squirmed under her touch and gurgled happily. The seal- Trident of the Sea God- appeared as three equidistant lines bisected by a circle connecting the three.

Shuurei _paled,_ eyes wide, and clutched at the sides of the crib with a white-knuckled grip that made the wood groan. "Oh dear kami-sama, _what have you done?"_ she gasped. At her side, Shima glanced at her questioningly and then leaned forward to study the seal intently, brow furrowed.

"What, what's wrong with it? I used the Trident of the Sea God, it's the strongest chakra storage seal there is-" Chiyo protested weakly, heart pounding in fear of the thought that she'd somehow managed to mess up _big time._

"For _human_ chakra! It's not equipped to handle bijuu chakra! Bijuu are so much more complicated than mere _chakra,_ they're intelligent beings! Not only is this seal just barely holding the chakra back, but it does nothing to restrain the Ichibi's mind at all! Do you understand what that means?! You've basically let the bijuu roam free in his mind! And using _water_ to restrain an _earth_ natured bijuu?! I understand your reasoning in thinking it would help hold him back, but here all it does is make it that much harder to convert the bijuu chakra into something Gaara can use!"

Gaara startled and started to fuss and cry in surprise at the sudden noise, and bits of sand started coming away from the sandstone walls as dust to swirl in a slow circle on the ground at the feet of his crib. With a sad smile, Chiyo scooped up the baby and startled bouncing him lightly and he settled with a soft huff and a few sniffles.

"…Is there anything you can do?" Rasa asked weakly, collapsing bonelessly into his chair, one hand covering his face

"I-I don't know." she stammered, looking uncertain for the first time Chiyo's ever seen. It had to be bad if _Shuurei,_ the Uzumaki _genius_ doesn't know what to do. "The Trident of the Sea God seal is very basic. Powerful because of that, but difficult to alter and- and I can't do it right away, nothing major, because it's been such a short amount of time since he was sealed the first time and his chakra network wouldn't be able to handle the strain and- _kami-sama."_ she sighed heavily, expression bleak, as she sank into a chair Shima pulled up for her. "I have to redo the seal from scratch and I've never done anything like that before. It's not just a matter of taking the old one off and putting a new seal on, because if I did that then the Ichibi would be released so I- maybe a temporary container?"

"Shishou, what about a storage seal? Like, a pocket dimension?" Shima offered.

Shuurei blinked owlishly. "I- yes, that could work, but it'll take a long time to alter it and it'd only last so long… For now, what I can do is put another seal on top of this one, as three pronged seals are designed to work with others it wouldn't be too difficult to do, but I'll need to expand the seal completely so I'm going to need an empty room, preferably with white walls so the ink shows up better. It going to take time, too, a week at least, maybe two…"

"Consider it done." Rasa snapped his fingers and an Anbu appeared, kneeling in front of his desk. "Prepare everything she needs and set the two-"

"Three," she interrupted, "I left my youngest with Sasori-kun and Ebizo-san."

He eyed her strangely, "…three of them up with a room."

"Hai, Kazekage-sama!" the lizard masked Anbu replied before disappearing in a shunshin that left behind a spray of sand which immediately moved to join the small swirls circling Chiyo where she was still holding Gaara.

"What's with the sand?" Shima asked, staring at it in fascination.

Shuurei's mouth twisted to the side in a wistful smile. "He gets that from Kurara, though she never had the chakra for anything big like this tyke, much less _unconsciously._ He's going to be something else when he grows up. Can I hold him?" She held out her arms and Chiyo carefully transferred him to the crook of her elbow, being sure to support the head. Rocking him gently her expression softened, somehow the lines of worry, stress, and grief fading into an adoring smile, something like an awe and wonder in her eyes.

"So it like, moves on its own?" Shima asked, kneeling down to poke at it and jumping in surprise when it hardened into a miniature barrier where his finger was, then yelping when it latched on. Frantically he tugged and pulled, trying to get some traction only to flail and fall on his but, feet sliding forward, finger still trapped. With a determined scowl, he braced his feet against the sand barrier- which stretched and grew to protect against them- and _heaved,_ straightening his legs and pulling with all his might until, with a loud _pop,_ his finger was released and he flew backwards, landing on his back, limbs splayed out and a stunned, goofy expression on his face.

Even Chiyo cracked a grin at that one, Shuurei doubled over laughing- being careful not to drop Gaara, of course- leaving Chiyo to answer. "You could say that." In Shuurei's arms, Gaara waved a pudgy little hand, accidentally whacking Shuurei on the side of his face, burbling out a shrill little laugh of his own.

"Hahahahaha…. ooooohhh…. Not a year old and you're _already_ trolling Obi-Shima-kun. Good one, Gaara-chan!"

Hoisting himself back onto his feet, Shima gave the sand a dark look and kicked at a thin string that was drifting its way into the room from the door, slightly ajar from where it hadn't been shut properly. "Stupid sand! Bad enough it gets _everywhere,_ even in my freaking _underwear,_ now it's throwing me across the room!"

"Hey, don't blame the sand. It was _your_ fault. You should know better than to poke at strange jutsu, especially kekei genkai. Honestly, I _would_ say I thought I taught you better, but I didn't think I _needed_ to teach you _common sense."_ Shifting Gaara slightly and frowning, probably at how light he is- he _was_ premature, after all- she turned to face the doorway, saying, "Well, what are you waiting for? I've got to go spoil my cute little cousins!"

Rasa heaved a sigh, reluctantly reaching out to shuffle through one of the stacks of paperwork at his desk, and Shuurei's ears caught the sound. "Oh, no you don't!" Eyes narrow, lips puckered in a stubborn, contrary scowl, she marched around behind his desk, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to his feet dragging him across the room with her free arm. "You need to get some sleep, and so help me god I will _wallop_ you on the head and knock you out if I have to! You're taking the day off."

"I have paperwork…" he protested weakly. "I'm the Kazekage, I can't just take the day off."

"Yeah, and you're no good to _anyone_ like this, isn't that right, Anbu-san?" she directed the comment to the corner of the room, where an Anbu dropped his genjutsu and shimmered into existence, sliding into place behind Rasa and taking his other elbow to help escort him out of the room.

Shuurei chuckled again while Rasa groaned, pulling his hand from Shuurei's grip to rub at his eyes. _"Anbu._ Who says they're impersonal and inhumane? Mother hens, the lot of them!" he complained, but the sides of his mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly, and when his hand fell away Chiyo saw more life in his eyes than she'd seen in weeks. "Let's go then. I'm not going to waste this opportunity when I _finally_ have a babysitter."

'Shuurei' Chiyo thinks, relieved, as they file out the door, 'has the best timing in the world.'

 

 

Obito stares at the kid. The kid stares back at him, suspicious, face scrunched up and obviously deep in thought. They stare each other down in silence as the blonde girl- Temari- asks, "Why are they doing that, Shuurei-oba-san?"

Shuurei sighs. "I don't know. It's probably a guy thing."

"Boys." Temari sighs too, already sassy and making snarky comments at four years old.

Finally the kid- wasn't it, like, Kanky or something?- says, "Your face is weird."

Obito bristles. "No, _your_ face is weird! Why's a _guy_ wearing makeup?"

The kid sniffs, nose as high in the air as a three year old's can go. "It's called _camouflage,_ stupidhead!"

"Then why's it _purple,_ neko- _chan?_ You looking to hide in the girl's part of the clothes store?" What a rude kid! Stupid, snobby clan kid!

Kanky glared at him with all the fury a three year old could manage. "I am _not_ a kitty! These are off-offishal puffeteer clothes! Chiyo-obaasan said so, so there!"

"Yeah, well, you still look like a girl!"

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Temari protested. "I'm not nearly as wimpy as _he_ is!"

Shuurei chuckled and leaned down to ruffle Temari's hair. "Come on Kankuro, are you going to give your oba-chan a hug, or are you going to argue with weirdoes all day?"

"Hey!" Obito yelled as Kankuro gave him one last sneer and turned to barrel into Shuurei's legs. "I'm not weird!"

Shuurei simply quirked an eyebrow at him. "And who was it that lost an argument with a four year old? Who was it five minutes ago that poked at a kekei genkai and ended up getting their finger stuck? I also seem to remember a certain someone dying their face blue on accident a few months ago."

Obito shot a glare at Kabuto, who was smirking at him. "That was Kabu- the little squirt's fault! He tricked me and-"

"Made you set off _your own trap?_ I mean, really Shima-kun? What kind of shinobi forgets where they put their _own_ traps?" Shuurei shook her head and cast her eyes skywards, her expression clearly asking what-am-I-going-to-do-with-you.

Obito shivered at the memory. "Yeah, well, I'm never going to do that again! Not after the training you put me through after that. You left me hanging there the _whole_ night! I thought I was going to pass out!"

"Well, the lesson stuck, didn't it?"

"A chipmunk crawled into my pants! I was hanging upside down by my ankles, he was running around in there for _hours!"_ That was not a night he was going to forget any time soon.

She hummed, staring off into the distance with a thoughtful look on her face. "True… we really need to work on your upper body strength, if you couldn't get out of something like that. Probably your core muscles, too…"

"That is _not_ the point!" Shuurei… she can be really scary if she wants to be, especially if it has to do with training or revenge.

"You three get along well, don't you?" Chiyo said with a snort. "Where'd you pick them up anyway, Shuurei-san?"

She flapped a hand. "Oh, here and there… This is a nice place you've got here, Rasa-sama. You've moved since the last time I visited, haven't you?"

Obito squinted and looked around, trying to figure out just what was so 'nice' about it. It was… well, it was beige. Beige like the village walls, beige like the Kage Tower, beige just like every house in Suna. He doesn't see what's so remarkable about that. It… well, it _was_ kind of roomy, high ceilings and such, but what use was that when there were no windows? It just made the ceiling seem dark and kind of creepy… like that horror move he saw in the theaters where spider creatures with human heads dropped down from the ceiling on their webs and started biting peoples' heads off…

He shivered and drew his arms in around himself, glancing at the ceiling nervously and tucking his head into his scarf, like that'd somehow stop mutant spider creatures from tearing him to pieces.

Suddenly something whispered in his ear… "Boo!" and he jumped, squealing- ahem, he means _yelping_ \- and spinning around to face the giant spider, one hand going to his weapons pouch.

Kabuto snorted condescendingly, his hands meeting at the back of his neck. "Too easy!"

Kankuro laughed and sneered at him, his obvious superiority complex in full swing. "You're such a sissy boy, you scaredy cat!"

"I am _not!"_ Obito protested, ticked off at being made fun of by a three and four year old. Really, what is it with the kids he keeps meeting? Either they're bloodthirsty _demons_ like the Uzumaki orphans, or they're huffy little clan kids with sticks shoved up their asses!

Shuurei groaned, shutting her eyes hard enough to wrinkle her forehead. "What am I going to do with you?" she sighed, and Obito's chest twinged a little at the exasperated tone in her voice. He didn't want to disappoint her, not after all she's done for him. Not after she _believed_ in him…

He wasn't quite fast enough to wipe the downtrodden look off his face before she caught it. "Oh geez…" she sighed again, giving him a fond smile and putting her free hand on his head to mess with his hair. "Don't be so sensitive, Obi- Shima-kun. I was just teasing."

He shifted a little, nervous, eyes wandering downwards to stare at his sandals, not quite believing her. Training… it'd been pretty slow recently. It felt like he wasn't making much progress at all.

She read that too, pulling him into a one armed hug. "Hey, I mean it. You've been doing really well recently. You're getting a lot better with learning about herbs, and your control's getting better too! And that suggestion you made at the Tower was a good one, I'll probably use that… you have a good head for seals."

He lifted his head to look at her face, trying to judge if she was serious or not. Him, Obito, actually _good_ at something? "Really?" he asked and winced at the high pitched whine to his voice, which was changing. Puberty sucks.

Shuurei scoffed. "Do I ever say things I don't mean? Trust me kid, I don't hand out empty platitudes. You've even memorized the third kata for the Whirlpool style! It took me a lot longer to learn that one than it did you. Now, stop wallowing in the self-pity and start thinking about what you'd do if you were the one fixing Gaara's seal."

He blinked, not having expected that topic. "Uh…"

While he was frantically trying to come up with an answer, Kabuto approached Kankuro and the two stared each other down like Obito had done a minute before. "My name is Kabuki… what's yours?"

"Kankuro…" he narrowed his eyes at Kabuto and pursed his lips, considering. "Do you like poisons?"

Kabuto scoffed, pushing his- recently obtained- glasses up on his nose where they somehow flashed with virtually no light in the room. "Can the ricinus communis kill a man in five minutes?"

Kankuro grinned exultantly, eyes lighting up, happy to find someone his age that like poisons just as much as he did. "You really know your stuff! Hey, you wanna see Chiyo-obaasan's herb garden? She's got some Brugmansia."

"Would I?" he answered with an equally wide grin, following after him out the door.

"Be home back by seven, you two!" Shuurei yelled at their retreating backs. "Well, they certainly hit it off. Have you been teaching him, Chiyo-san? I'd wondered why they're both so articulate this young."

"I have been training the boy in using poisons, but the reason they speak so well for toddlers are the tutors Kazekage-sama hired for them. He's taken a shine to puppeteering, too, but he's still too young to be fooling around with chakra so I can't help him there yet, no matter how much he begs."

She winced in sympathy. "I know what you mean. I've only been with Kabuki for a few months and he's practically devouring any medical text I can get my hands on, and begging me to teach him the Mystical Palm technique besides! I don't know how much I can teach him this young without accidentally hurting him..."

Chiyo half turned from where she was puttering about in the kitchen, making tea. "I don't have that problem, not quite. However much effort the brat's been putting into learning poisons, he's still not a genius. It is a common issue with kids, though, that they always ask for things they're not ready to try and experiment behind your back. Why, I remember when my son was their age and he launched himself across the room because some idiot wanted to show off the wall-walking technique he'd just learned."

Rasa sighed from where he was laying on the couch, an arm over his eyes. "You will never let me forget that, will you? I was just a genin, I didn't think he would actually try."

"Do you know how hard it was to convince him to try again when he actually became a genin? He even barricaded himself in his room!"

She laughed at the thought, trying to imagine a ten year old Rasa and failing badly. "That's right, how has your son been doing, anyway? What does he do for a living now that he can't be a shinobi any more?"

"Oh, he's still helping out in the Puppet Division, helping the active duty shinobi develop their puppets. Sasori-kun got his knack for puppets from him, after all, just as much as me. My daughter-in-law works in Intelligence as a secretary. Both of them are very happy with where they are now, even if they miss taking missions every now and then. What can you do, though, with a compromised chakra system and a missing leg?" She set the teacup on the coffee table, prompting Shuurei to sit down on the other available couch, Temari curling up next to her and reaching for one of the cookies on the plate of snacks she'd also brought over.

"Did she ever find a prosthetic she was happy with?" she inquired, then smiled sheepishly at Chiyo's incredulous eyebrow. "Ah, right, I forgot where I am for a moment there, which is strange because we were literally _just_ talking about puppets…"

"Sasori-kun even designed it for her. He's really making waves with his puppets. Did you know, he made his first puppet when he was five years old? Five! An not a toy or miniature, either, but a functional, human-sized puppet." Chiyo grinned broadly, gesculating excitedly with a cookie in hand, flinging crumbs everywhere.

On the other couch, Rasa groaned turning his face into the cushions. "Could you not be so loud?"

"You, why are you not in bed yet? Eat the sandwich Chiyo-san so graciously made for you and head on off to bed." Shuurei raised a menacing eyebrow at him and, as if he could sense it, he reluctantly hauled himself up into a sitting position and grabbed the sandwich off the plate, glaring at it balefully but making no move to actually take a bite. "Rasa- _sama…."_ Never before had an honorific sounded so threatening. With a roll of his eyes he bit into the sandwich with a grimace.

"Right. Now Shima-kun, have you thought of an answer?"

Obito, who'd been watching incredulously as Shuurei was browbeating the Kazekage into submission, twitched. "Ah, well, even numbered seals work the best at restraining chakra, but you can't put an even numbered seal on top of the three pronged one he already has, so, another odd numbered one? I don't know what you should do about the whole water natured thing, because it really wouldn't work that well with both Gaara's and the Ichibi's nature being earth…"

"Very good! Yeah, I'm not too sure about that either. It might be better if I just changed the seal directly instead of just putting another one on top of it, because converting the Ichibi's chakra to water and then converting it into another element closer to earth to make it easier for him to absorb would just be wasting a whole lot of chakra…"

"Shuurei-oba-san, what are you talking about?" Temari asked with a yawn, sitting up from where she was napping on Shuurei's lap.

"Oh, we were just talking about how to help your new little brother."

"You met him? I haven't got to see him yet 'cause tou-san says it's too dangerous which is really sad 'cause I really wanted to meet him." She gave this adorable little pout, crossing her arms and slumping against the back of the couch.

"Yes I did, but I'm here to help fix the problem and then you can meet him! His name is Gaara and he's got red hair just like your grandma used to have and these pretty green eyes with circles around them like a panda."

Her eyes lit up. "Really? He sounds _so_ cute!"

Shuurei snaked an arm around her and pulled her closer to her side in a one-armed hug. "He is, and in a week or two you get to meet him and take care of him like a good big sister, you think you can do that?"

"A _week?_ But that's like, forever! Can't I go see him _now?"_

" 'Fraid not sweetie, but you know what? While you're waiting you get to play with me, Shima, and Kabuki-kun! Doesn't that sound like fun? In fact, I've got this fun new game I remembered from when I was a little girl. It's called Uno, you want to play?"

And then Temari was squirming out of Shuurei's arm and bouncing in her seat with excitement. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so here we start seeing some changes, in _Suna _of all places! Even I wasn't expecting to elaborate too much on Suna.... Some teasers, too, about what happened during the Kyuubi attack. Tell me what you think! I can never do better if I don't know where to improve!__


	5. Kaa-san and the Most Adorable Tree in the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, I am so INCREDIBLY sorry about how long it's taken me to update. There is no excuse. I PROMISED myself I wouldn't be one of those people that only updates once a month or once every few months because I've been on the other side of the wait and it really, truly sucks. All I can say is that this chapter was HARD. I meant to write the Hokage Office scene where Shuurei negotiates with the Hokage in this chapter, but no matter how many times I tried writing it, it just wouldn't happen! Ironically, every time I tried I ended up writing something that would be PERFECT... for a FUTURE chapter. On the bright side, it SHOULDN'T take that long to crank out the next few chapters, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I was you, given my track record.
> 
> But anyway, here it is! Pure, unadulterated fluff. Seriously, you'll need to go see a dentist after reading this.

It haunts him, whenever there's a quiet moment and he allows his thoughts to still. The days- years- he spent helpless in a glass tube, watching the kids around him die one by one, the lights that illuminated their tubes going dark as the monitors keeping them alive begin to falter and break down from neglect. Brothers and sisters in tragedy struggling to breathe even as the viscous liquid keeping them alive begins to run out, straining to keep their heads below the waterline.

He'd seen them die before, when the ruthlessly indifferent snake-man tinkered with the displays, injecting strange substances into the mix that caused them to flail about in pain, soundlessly screaming as their bodies seized and the monitors went wild with shrill alarms. Somehow, though, it's harder to watch them die slowly, the machines keeping them alive shutting down one by one because they were abandoned by the very same man that destroyed their lives. It's hard, impossibly hard, to remember watching them die, to remember being helpless to save them as they slowly faded, because though the confines of his tube are just fragile, breakable glass, they might as well be prison bars because he doesn't know how to live outside of it, how to go back to breathing regular air like he used to. Sometimes he contemplated doing it anyway, sacrificing his life to save even one person before he died, but he doesn't pretend to know how to operate the machines or get them to release them and in the end the gesture would be useless.

So he watched the lights go out one by one, each one leaving a weight on his chest and an ever growing desperation. Soon, far too soon, he was the only one left, the only light in a pitch black room of bodies, and he watched his own display flicker with a racing heart and a running string of prayers and pleas to anyone, anyone at all to- _pleasepleassepleaseIdon'twanttodiesomeoneanyoneIdon'twanttodielikethis!_

But no one comes. Just like all the other times he beat against the glass, trying to scream without air at the man that was killing them, changing them, hurting them, no one is there to listen. No one can save him.

So long he's spent waiting to die, that when the moment comes he can't bring himself to care any more. His heart is too tired, and it hurts even more to hope, to pray, to imagine someone finding the lab in the nick of time, and then in then in the end for his dreams to fall through.

_I'm alone. I'm dying._

And the revelation brings a feeling of peace, an acceptance of the death to come, because soon he will be free. Free from the glass tube, free from the horrors surrounding him, free from desperate eyes and silent screams and tiny hands beating against the glass. Free from the nightmares and the bottomless black hole that is guilt.

It's still terrifying when the light finally turns off, though. Unlike the others it doesn't happen when he's already dead but before, and it's _so much worse._ He's alone now, completely alone in the darkness, with no sight or sound to distract from the feeling of the water receding, gravity reasserting itself, a half-remembered hindrance that signals the end. Even though he's ready, even though he's resigned himself to death, in the end he really _doesn't want to die._ Instinct kicks in an he flails his arms spastically, desperately trying to keep his head below water, but of course it isn't enough and then he's suffocating, gasping for the air that's killing him because he can't truly breathe with the tube down his throat but he knows better than to remove it because others tried before and it only caused them more pain in the end and-

_Lungs burning for air- no, not air but the liquid that served as a substitute. Heat runs up his spine and his head spins and he's fading, weakening, and all there is, is the cold seeping into his body and the sound of him choking on air, but even that is slowing, dying. He's dying in silence and darkness surrounded by horrors and he struggles to bring a more pleasant memory to mind, to remember the feel of the sun on his skin or how the air feels and smells right before it rains, but to his despair he finds he can't quite remember what life was like before this and- and he doesn't want to die. He wants to live! He doesn't want to die not knowing what grass feels like beneath his feet or the sound leaves make when the wind blows._

And then, in his most desperate hour, there's a sound.

It's faint at first, but it's there. Soft and slow and rhythmic, just… like… footsteps….

"Help!" he tries to cry, but of course the tube gets in the way and it comes out as a groan. Whoever it is must have heard him, though, because the footsteps stop for a single, solitary moment and then pick up again but faster, and now there's a voice to accompany them, shouting, but he can't make out the words because he's nearly gone, no longer able to fight the cold and the numbness that has immobilized his limbs and then-

_Warmth, where there was none before. Warmth and a flicker of light in his mind and- green, it's green. It's been so long since he's seen green, it's so… so beautiful…_

Pain, a burning, prickling sensation throughout his entire body, and he's back. Instinctively he gasps for air but this time there's nothing impeding him and he remembers, _that's right, this is how it feels to breathe._ His body sags with relief, exhausted, and everything hurts but now he can feel something outside of the lingering pain. Someone's holding him, arms around him and a hand on the back of his head that's warm like he'd forgotten a human can be, and there's a voice  vibrating through the chest his head is pressed against, soft and sweet and soothing, for all that there's an edge of panic.

 _Safe,_ he thinks drowsily as he drifts off to sleep, _safe, free._

 

 

"…nzo. Tenzo-kun, wake up."

Hmm? That voice…. He breathes in deeply and takes in cinnimon, salty air, and the sharp, pungent smell of green things and smiles to himself, cracking open one bleary eye to see her sitting in the chair next to his bed, a wry smile aimed his way, one arm trapped where he'd somehow ended up clutching it to his chest like a teddy bear.

Immediately he loosens his grip and sits up, rubbing at his eyes. "Onee-chan…?"

She smiles at him again, warm and fond, and something equally warm rears up in his chest so that he can't help but smile in return. "Morning, sleeping beauty. You okay? You looked like you were having a bad dream, and when I went to wake you, you latched onto my arm and wouldn't let go. You just seemed so peaceful after that I just didn't have the heart to try again." Her smile pulled to the side slightly, amused. "Reminded me of those first few days after I found you. Remember that? You refused to let me go for a full week after. It was so cute!"

Embarrassed and still half-asleep, he ducked his head, face burning. "Onee-chan!" he groaned. "I'm a _boy,_ I'm not _cute."_

Chuckling, she ruffled his hair to his squawking protest. "Oh, but to me you'll _always_ be cute."

He wants to be offended, but he thinks back to that dream and all he can feel is a shaken sort of relief. The next thing he knows, he's twisted around _very_ awkwardly in his bed to catch Shuurei in a stranglehold of a bear hug, breathing heavily in an attempt to hold off the telling burn in his eyes. She's stiff for a moment, awkward like she always is, and then she pulls him the rest of the way out of the bed and onto her lap, one hand running fingers through his hair while the other rubs small circles on his back. "Hey, hey, it's okay. It's alright, I'm right here. Was it that dream again?" He nods soundlessly, tense muscles slowly thawing under the utterly hypnotic feeling of her fingers in his hair. "It's not as bad as it was before, is it?"

"No." he answers, pulling himself away once he'd reassured himself that she's fine, that he's _fine_ and that the dreams are just memories that are _never_ going to happen again. "Not since Obito-niisan talked to me. They just happen every once in a while."

She huffed a laugh at that, mouth pulling up into another crooked smile. "He really is one unpredictable brat. One minute he's arguing with four-year-olds and dying his face blue, the next he's giving sound advice and getting rid of nightmares. Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Did you want to see me about something? You aren't supposed to stop by for another two days. Did everything go okay in Suna?"

"Yes, everything went fine. I got to spend time with my cute little cousins, helped little Gaara with his seal the best I can- at least he'll be able to sleep now, the poor thing- Obito got told off by a three-year-old, _again,_ was scared to death by Kabuto, _again,_ and thrown half-way across the room, _again."_

Tenzo snickered, remembering the last time Obito went flying. It involved a hang glider, a homemade catapult, and a frayed rope and he'd _never_ seen Shuurei laugh that hard before. Or yell that loudly, once she was able to breathe again.

"That aside," she continued, expression growing more and more serious, "I do have something _very_ important to talk to you about. We're on our way to Konoha right now, and this… situation provides an opportunity. You've mentioned wanting to be a shinobi before, but right now I've got to know, are you _sure?_ Really, really sure? Being a shinobi is _hard_ and _dangerous,_ especially for you, and it's a life-long commitment. You don't have to be one just because I am. I'll support any decision you make, all the way."

He looked up at her, just as grave and serious, and without any hesitation he answered. "I want to be a shinobi. I don't want to be helpless. I want to catch Orochimaru and make sure nobody ever has to go through what I went through, ever again. I want to be able to protect you, and Obito, and Nagato, Konan, Yahiko, and all of your cousins because they're my _family._ _You're_ my _family."_

"That," she replied, misty-eyed and with a trembling smile, "is the _best_ reason." She pulled him into yet another hug- one that had him gasping for air- and said, "I love you too." His heart just about stopped at the same time something inside him collapsed into a pile of goo, hearing those words.

I love you.

She said… she said _I love you._

To _him._

For all that he calls Shuurei Onee-chan, he's actually thought of her as his pseudo-mother for years now. She saved him, she gave him a home and a family, she helped him work through his trauma. She buried each and every one of his fellow experiments- by hand, because she was afraid of attracting unwanted attention with the chakra flare doton jutsus would give off- and engraved a marker in remembrance of the tragedy with a kunai. She shared her family with him, her home, taught him everything she knew about the shinobi arts and passed on precious clan secrets. She helped him deal with the side effects from Orochimaru's experiments and helped him learn how to use Mokuton to the best of her ability. She was there for the worst of his nightmares, every night of that first year spent sleeping at his side with excuses about it being safer since she had no sentries, even though he _knew_ she could just make a shadow clone. It was so much easier dealing with nightmares when he immediately saw her, his savior, sleeping by his side, reminding him that he's safe now, that it was all real, that _she_ is real. She's been there for him in every conceivable way these past four years and treats him like her own child, when she never had any obligation to do so. He would do anything to protect her.

So hearing her actually say out loud how much she cares about him gives him the courage to ask a question he's been too afraid to ask for the longest time.

"Can- can I call you Kaa-san?"

She freezes, eyes wide, and for a second he's afraid… _What if she doesn't want me?_ Then he noticed that her ever-steady hands were trembling and in the next instant she bursts into loud, sloppy tears, squeezing the life out of him. "Of _course!"_ she whispers, voice rough with emotion. "Of course, I'd be honored to be your Kaa-san!"

 

 

Eventually they recovered enough from that emotional bombshell for Shuurei to explain her plans for him to become a shinobi, the reason she sought him out in the first place, though Shuurei couldn't help breaking out in a broad, goofy grin every few seconds.

"If you want to become a shinobi, you need to join one of the major shinobi villages because then you'll have their backing as far as having a stable source for weaponry, political clout, and backing for any infiltration or espionage missions if you're ever caught. Trust me, everything about being a ninja is _so_ much harder without a village.You need to join right around now because at nine you can still go to the Academy and get to know your fellow shinobi, so that you can work better with them in the future and so they're able to clear you of being an imposter if it ever comes up. Also, if you become well-known amongst your peers and teachers, it'll be that much harder for ROOT to take you without being noticed. Plus," her expression softened, "you need to make friends, have fun. Live whatever childhood you have left to the fullest. I worry about you, cooped up in here with children less than half your age or adults. I want you to have the full genin experience because really, there's nothing quite like it. Your genin team becomes the backbone for your whole shinobi career. They're the people you train with, the people you go to if you ever have a problem or need advice, the people you trust with your life. Your genin team always ends up becoming something of a second family, and I will _fight_ for you to have that if I have to."

Wow, she's really thought this through. She's been thinking about him… and although he knows she's _always_ been planning with his best interests in mind, it still stuns him every now and again to realize how much she _cares_ about him. She doesn't have to, she never had to, and he always keeps that in mind, so that he'll never take such a thing for granted.

She shook her head, backtracking to her original train of thought. "Anyway, so you need to join one of the major villages, because obviously they have the most influence and resources, as well as the best training. As of right now, Konoha is the only one I trust and the only one I have any sort of influence with in order to get them to take you in, since I've saved their Hokage for them and Uzushio was one of their closest allies before it fell. It has a reputation for being the friendliest of the Hidden Villages, and while that's not saying much for a _shinobi_ village, I greatly admire their emphasis on teamwork. Also, I have family there, one of my only remaining relatives that actually _remembers_ Uzushio and is a direct descendent of the clan, our princess in fact. I hear she's been looking for family, and if I ask she might be willing to take you in, especially considering that I saved her and her husbands' lives. Returning him to them will bring me into direct contact with their acting Hokage, an opportunity to state my case, and while I'm there I want to ask that you be admitted to the village and allowed to join the Academy. You are technically a Konoha citizen, after all, and your situation is entirely their fault so they _should_ have no problem with it."

"I'm… I'm really leaving? Just like that?"

She must've seen the apprehension on his face because she rushed to reassure him. "Don't worry, you can come back sometimes and meet with me while I'm here visiting the hellions, I have it all figured out! But… yes, if you want to be a shinobi, it has to be now. Are you sure you want to do this?" she probed, an intent look on her face.

"Yes… yes, I'm sure. I guess I… have to pack now? When do we leave… Kaa-san?" that last addition was tentative, a shy smile on his face that she answered with a brief hair ruffle that he met with the obligatory complaints.

"Well, let's see. It's what, ten o'clock? We'll be within sight of Konoha in about five hours, so I'll be back to pick you up at around three, that work for you? And don't worry about packing everything, you can leave some things behind if they're important and you don't want them getting stolen. I'll seal up your room nice and tight so the little hellions- ahem, I mean _children-_   don't get into it."

"You said there was a way I could come back whenever I want?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking you could sign on the Rabbit Summoning Contract."

"Really?!" Summoning Contracts are so cool!

"The contract I've got now is very limited, just so you know. It's a partial contract and basically an agreement that they would provide a safe haven for me and anyone I come across that needs protection and somewhere to hide, provided I ask permission first, which means that if you sign it too- which I've already asked, by the way, and they've agreed to- you can't summon them into battle."

He was only slightly disappointed, because though that makes it less cool, he's also intelligent enough to realize the myriad of uses it could have, and appreciate the ingenuity behind the idea. Shuurei-kaa-san is _smart._

"Kaa-san… what's Konoha like?" he asked tentatively, biting at his lower lip. He was a smart kid- Shuurei calls him a genius and _she_ definitely is one- he knows how good he has it here, especially with what happened to him Before. The moment he'd shown signs of the Mokuton, she'd warned him what people would do to gain control of that power, sparing no details. That was also the moment she'd told him about her past life and her knowledge of the future, so that if- when- the time came and he decided to be a shinobi, he'd know what dangers to look for. She was very open about the fact. Everyone living in the Summons Realm knew of it, if not necessarily the details, of which she was deliberately vague.

The point was, he'd been living the easy life. Safe, secure, happy, surrounded by people that liked him for _him_ and didn't bat an eye at his background, who held powers just as fantastic and pasts equally as tragic, with no need to fear that they were using him for the Mokuton. He'd been fed, trained to the best of their ability, and _loved._ Actual, genuine _love._ And once he left, he'd be on his own.

Why did he want to leave again?

He watched Shuurei as she wandered around the room, using the excuse of helping him pack to poke around. He was fiercely protective of his room, the only place in the Warren where he was guaranteed quiet and privacy, and therefore it'd become something of a legend to the other kids who amused themselves speculating as to what he could have locked up in here. She stopped before his photo wall, covered in pictures of him and the rest of his enormous, perpetually rowdy family, and he found something inside him relaxing at seeing the soft smile on her face as she ran her fingers over them.

Oh yeah, that's why. To protect that. To protect _them,_ so he never had to lose his whole world again.

"Konoha…" she mused, startling him because he'd completely forgotten he'd asked a question. "It's a strange place. Full of the most wonderful, amazing people you'll ever meet but surrounded by tragedies so horrible you wonder how such evil people come from such a bright place…. But then, no one is ever truly evil, Tenzo-kun. Remember that. Some people are broken and so misguided as to be beyond redemption, but there's always something that made them the person they are. Remember that, even if you can't always see the reason."

"Even Orochimaru?" he asked, his stomach roiling at the very thought.

She frowned, eyes hooded and sad. "Even him. Because of how they look, he and his clan have always been discriminated against, treated as outcasts and monsters just because of their heritage, something they couldn't help. It's natural, I suppose, an ingrained instinct left in humans after centuries of dying to snake venom, but that doesn't make it fair, how they were treated. Added to that the stigma of genius and Orochimaru's own struggle with morality, and there was no way he could learn how to act and behave around others or empathize with people. His parents were his whole world, and then they died and he was left alone." she scowled particularly viciously. "They have a tendency to do that to orphans. Anyway, so then there was a grieving, genius little boy who doesn't know how to interact with people in the slightest all alone and, being a genius with a love for science, he locks himself up in his head as a way to cope, telling himself that he didn't need anyone else because he's _better_ than they are. The way they treat him, the way they fear him, it didn't matter because he didn't need them, because he's superior in every way so they have to be wrong. And he's left alone in that for years with the praise of his teachers over his intelligence to cement that and no peers his equal to show him that he's wrong. Then, finally, some people start to break through, people he finds himself caring about, and he starts to come out of his shell a little, only for those people to be hit by their own tragedies and abandon him. Jiraiya with his orphans, Tsunade with her grief, Sarutobi with his position and responsibilities, and it hurts so much worse to be rejected and abandoned than to have someone taken away. He then associates that pain with letting people in, letting them get close to him, and what does he do to deal with it? What he's always done, retreat as hard and as fast as possible into the science and logic that'll always be there for him, that will never betray him."

He stays silent, trying not to see that. Trying not to empathize with the man that hurt him and killed so many. He didn't want the monster that did such horrible things to be human. He didn't want there to be a _reason-_ and yet… he can't help but try to imagine what it must've been like.

Shuurei saw the conflict inside him and her frown grew more pronounced, her eyes desolate. "You don't have to forgive him, Tenzo. You don't even have to sympathize with him, because in the end, whatever reasons he had, his actions are unforgivable, but I want you to know that he isn't an undefeatable demon destined for evil." She put one hand on his bowed head for comfort, serious enough at the moment to not even bother to muss his hair. "He's human, just like you and me, with his flaws and his weaknesses, and while he's something to be wary of and an enemy to plan for and treat with caution, you shouldn't fear him. What he was, what he is, was made by the ignorance and fear of others, and so I want you to do something for me."

He looked up at her, eyes shadowed by hard memories and an aching heart. "What, Kaa-san?"

She took the trouble of bending down to his level to look him in the eye. "Make friends with the lonely kids, the outcasts, the rejects… and the geniuses, too. Those that are lonely and hide their pain. Find those that need someone, and be there for them, because nobody deserves to be alone, to be ignored or hated. People like that are lifelong friends and could be amazing people if they just had someone to support them, so be there for them. I'm not saying you should ignore everyone else- I want you to make as many friends as you can, in fact- but I want you to look for them specifically and help where you can. Think you can do that?"

His mind wandered without his permission to a confused, lonely boy left alone in a world that hated him for something that wasn't his fault, and though he still couldn't muster up any real sympathy for Orochimaru, though he will probably never forgive him and his goals remain the same, the thought of someone out there with a life like that _right now_ that he could help. That he could _save_ them-like he couldn't save _them,_ like Shuurei saved _him-_ made something hot and angry and sad inside him cool like molten metal and harden into a bar of inflexible steel. "Yes, Kaa-san. I will make you proud."

At that, her expression warmed, eyes shining with something he wasn't able to identify but that made him indefinably happy. "You already have, hon. You already have."

 

 

His first impression of Konoha: it is _really_ big. He was just standing at the front gates and he was already awed. Why did they even _need_ something that big?

Intimidated, he grabbed Shuurei's hand but kept his head held high, a neutral expression on his face. He would not embarrass Shuurei by being scared of _doors,_ and shinobi aren't supposed to show fear. Shuurei (currently disguised as a bland, brown haired, purple eyed woman) glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and gave his hand a sympathetic squeeze before moving to approach the guards, who were watching them warily."Excuse me, I need to see the Hokage right away on a matter of grave importance."

"On what business?" The guard with the wildly spiky hair and the bandage over his nose asked, eyeing them suspiciously. The one with the hair covering half his face studied him in particular and Tenzo met his gaze, defiant. To his surprise, the shinobi quickly glanced away with an unsettled look on his face. Huh, wonder what that was about?

"I'm here to… return something I've borrowed. Tell him 'the wave meets the shore and the sky bleeds tears of rage'. Also caution him that this is a sensitive matter not meant for untrustworthy ears." They gave them a curious look, but the bandaged man nodded to his partner and shifted into a defensive stance Tenzo recognized as part of the style Obito taught them all, one hand going to his weapons holster while the other shinobi darted off through the gates, presumably to inform the Hokage.

While they were waiting, Tenzo hesitantly signed a question in Uzushio standard. _"(What did you borrow?)"_

 _"(You remember what I was doing in Suna?)"_ she countered and nodded at the dawning realization on his face.

 _"(Where's Obito-nii?)"_ He hadn't seen him all day, here or at the Warren.

 _"(He's checking up on some old friends.)"_ she replied, _"(Also known as being a creepy stalker.)"_

His eyes widened in alarm. _"(Won't he get caught?!)"_

She snorted. _"(Not likely. I've been teaching him stealth and evasion maneuvers.)"_

He blanched, imagining the horror Obito- the prank _master-_ would unleash on them all with _Shuurei's_ stealth abilities. Shuurei, who was trained extensively from a young age by her grandmother, _the_ best assassin to _ever_ come out of Mist. The assassin who's known as the best in the world, and who wouldn't be known at all if she hadn't left a calling card behind at each hit. Shuurei had demonstrated her abilities many times before, and she's good enough that she can disappear right before your eyes even if you're looking directly at her, with no chakra use whatsoever.

Shuurei cackled loudly at the look on his face, startling the shinobi guarding them, who'd been staring intently at their hands. _"(Be afraid. Be very afraid.)"_ He shivered.

Just then, the partner returned, interrupting Shuurei's well-practiced evil cackle and, to his surprise, bowed slightly to Shuurei. "Hokage-sama will see you now."

"Right." Shuurei nodded, suddenly sweeping Tenzo off his feet and depositing him on her back, piggy-back style. "Lead the way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah. Yay, character development! In this chapter Shuurei proves that she is one HELL of a mother, no matter what she might think, and we get a look into the significantly changed/improved/different mindset of our adorable little nine-year-old Tenzo-kun. That poor, poor, baby. But hey, he's SO MUCH happier now, saner and even more stable than he ended up being in canon. He gets the chance to be an actual kid, and Shuurei will EVISCERATE anyone who gets in the way of that. And she thinks she isn't a very good mother, ha.
> 
> Also, heavy, emotional part! I've never successfully written heart-breaking trauma before. I'm so proud! This fic is turning out to be just chock full of firsts. Hope you guys liked it! If you did- or even if you didn't- review! I will welcome any and everything you have to say about it.


	6. Uzumaki Flavored Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! So, just a brief little flashback chapter that I'm alternately unsure of and incredibly proud of. I've been tinkering with it for a while, but no matter what I do it's not as strong a chapter as I'd like, so if anyone has any ideas on how it improve it, I'm all ears. Or, well, eyes.

Rin stood on a branch and sighed, watching the morose figure standing ram-rod straight in front of the Memorial Stone, right where she'd known he would be. With a tiny burst of chakra she was slicing through the air and landed on the edge of the clearing, deliberately snapping a twig to alert him to her presence as she approached.

"Kakashi-kun, you missed another meeting. How long have you been here?"

He didn't so much as twitch and she reached out to grab his wrist, noting hold cold and clammy it felt, and realized that the answer was probably 'a long time'. She frowned sadly and took the blanket in her arms and unfurled it with a snap, sliding it over Kakashi's shoulders. His only reaction was to grab an edge with a white-knuckled fist.

"Minato-sensei won't say anything, but I know he's worried. Kushina-san too, she says you haven't been home for three days now. Have you been here the whole time? We have a mission tomorrow, you know. You should get some sleep." She paused, but still he said nothing. "I'm worried too, you know. I- I miss him too and I kind of wanted to talk about it. Sensei's so busy now that he's Hokage, and with the baby on the way Kushina-san's got enough stress as there is so I was hoping…"

Again he didn't answer, but she saw his eye twitch slightly so she went on, too heart-sore to care that he didn't seem to be paying attention. She had to get this off her chest, had to talk to _someone._ "I… I never noticed what a big part of my life he was until he was gone. He was… he was just always there, you know? My best friend, even back in the Academy, though I don't think I ever told him that. He was just so _nice,_ all the time, always bringing me cool stuff he found, like a bird's nest he picked up when he was walking around or a ribbon he found snagged on a branch, and he always seemed to have candy on him, did you ever notice that? I wonder where he got it all… and he always gave me half without me having to ask. And when it rained and I forgot my umbrella, I'd find his in my bag and he'd be nowhere in sight so I couldn't give it back to him or ask if we could share. He'd listen whenever I had a problem and never brushed me off or said I was being silly. Did you know he's the reason I decided to be a medic-nin? The reason I became a shinobi at all, actually. The Academy sensei told me I wouldn't make it as a shinobi if I couldn't even kill the animals when we did outdoors survival exercises, and I was depressed because I thought they might be right. I became a shinobi because I wanted to help people, but being one meant I'd have to hurt them and I didn't think I could do that. Obito-kun found me when I was crying and he listened to me, then told me that I'd make a great medic-nin, that it was a _good_ thing to care so much about people and… and now he's gone. He's _gone_ and I miss him _so much_ and the way he died… it was just so awful! And even when he was dying he was always thinking about other people, and it's just like him to die sacrificing himself for someone else. Just like him…"

About halfway through she'd started crying- again- that horrible ache in her chest making her feel like the helpless damsel in distress she'd worked so hard not to be. She'd been _useless_ and _worse_ than useless, she'd been a _liability._ She hadn't even sensed the enemy that'd come up behind her before they knocked her unconscious, never realized she'd been in a genjutsu even when it was _so obvious_ and now Obito is dead. Her _best friend_ is dead because she was weak, and now her team is in shambles because even though it was supposed to be her job, as the kunoichi of the team, Obito had been the glue that held them all together, the heart of team Minato, and it's so quiet without him. She doesn't know what to say now, when she's with Kakashi-san or Minato-sensei. Doesn't know what to say when Obito's gone and it's _her fault,_ and she knows they know it too, and she knows they blame her. At the very least they're disappointed in her, because she _failed them._ Failed her _team,_ when she's supposed to watch out for them, supposed to heal them and fix them up and bring them home.

She doesn't know what to do. What is she supposed to do? She… she can't let something like that happen again, she can't be _helpless_ again, but how can she change that? Always, always she's been weak, physically inadequate with miniscule chakra reserves, the only thing she's ever had going for her was her chakra control so she capitalized on it in becoming a medic-nin. It was the perfect role for her. Medic-nin are a valuable commodity to shinobi and more in line with her ideals than any other specialization, and she was content with that. She gotten _complacent_ and hadn't sought to improve herself, so all this time she's been stagnating where her boys were forging on ahead with the future in mind, always looking for ways to improve themselves.

She has nightmares about it almost every night. She sees Obito, pinned under those boulders, blood pooling out underneath him, staining the ground black. She sees glazed eyes, almost delirious in pain, and she remembers pouring her chakra into him, hands shaking, praying, praying so _hard_ that somehow he'll be okay. That moment when she realizes she can't save him, that he's going to die and there's _nothing_ she can do but try to ease his pain, and then to fulfill his final request. And his voice, so cheerful even though he's fighting to speak through the pain, even though he's _terrified_ and he's _drowning in his own blood_ because one of his ribs punctured his crushed lung, faking cheerfulness to make _them_ feel better and that's what he's always done, put others before himself no matter the sacrifice.

It can't happen again. She can't survive something like that again, so she has to get strong. But how? She doesn't have any special jutsu handed down from a clan or shinobi parents. She doesn't have any particular strengths she can hone beyond her chakra control, and medical ninjutsu just aren't going to cut it if she wants to be able to protect her teammates, her friends, her _family_. Maybe… maybe Sensei will know? But… but she doesn't know if she can face him. Not now, not when the grief is still so fresh, not when just seeing his face fills her with shame and self-loathing.

Lost in her grief, she doesn't know how long she stood there, silently crying, before it all became too much and she turned to leave before she could fall to pieces. But then, when she's right at the edges of the clearing, Kakashi says something…

"He loved you, you know."

…and she freezes, her mind stumbling over the words, trying to make sense of them, before spinning around to face him again.

"What? What do you mean?"

He doesn't move, in the exact same position he's probably been in for days, and he repeats himself, voice as monotone and emotionless as it is when he's giving a report to the Hokage. "Obito, he was in love with you."

"No." she breathes, disbelieving, her heart pounding in her ears and a sinking feeling in her stomach like someone had just thrown her off of the Hokage Tower. "No, that can't be right." Could it? "He- he was my best friend, he didn't-" But the candies, the umbrella, the way he was always there, inviting her to spend time with him, that time he'd blushed and stammered when she'd shown up at a festival in a kimono, all the times she'd caught him staring at her…

"No." she says again, but this time it's a sob. God, it was so _obvious,_ how did she never see, never notice…? All those times she talked to him about Kakashi, how had he felt? Listening to her rant on and on about another guy and then thanking him for being such a _great friend…_ no _wonder_ he was always fighting with Kakashi! Kami, she was _horrible_ to him! Some best friend she is, that she never even looked hard enough to notice! What else had she missed? Had she even known him at all?

 

 

 

They're coming for her. She doesn't know why, doesn't understand, but they slipped up when they captured her, mentioned bijuu and jinchuriki, and she's so, so scared. Why her? She isn't anything special, she's proven that time and time again.

_Is this how Obito felt?_

There's no way out of this. They're surrounded, and even Kakashi can't fight off this many. They're going to take her and make her into a weapon against her own country. Jinchuriki. She saw one fight during the war, she remembered the devastation they'd wrecked on the battlefield, men and women torn into unrecognizable pieces, limbs flying, the landscape itself changing, pockmarked with giant craters. If they let one loose in Konoha, an uncontrolled jinchuriki… she could level the village.

_It's her or her village. Her or Kakashi, except that she never had a chance to begin with._

She's not making it out of this, but Kakashi? If he doesn't have to cover for her he can move faster, has a higher chance of breaking through and making it out of this alive. They might let him go, since he's not their target.

_Is this how Obito felt? She's so scared, she doesn't want to die, but… but it would be worth it if Kakashi survived, if her ojiisan and obaasan, Minato-sensei and Kushina-san and their baby, if everyone she loves is safe, then it would be worth it. Because she couldn't live with herself if she let **any** of them die, like she had Obito._

_Obito…_

It's an easy choice to make. A hand goes to her weapons pouch and pulls out a kunai, but she can't do it. Her hand is shaking too hard, and every time she tells herself to move, to just _do it,_ she… can't. Coward! She's such a coward! She's already made her choice, so why can't she just…do it?

_'I don't want to die. I really just… I don't want to die!'_

"Kakashi… I need you to kill me."

 

 

 

Chakra is the first thing that registers. By the frequency and the low hum that always makes his ears itch, he identifies it as healing chakra. Before his mind even registers the threat his hand catches the wrist of the unknown medic, his subconscious remembering the damage a hostile medic can do.

Then the chakra flickers slightly in the identifying pattern unique to Konoha and his grip relaxes- again subconsciously- before his sluggish mind can even begin to register the concept of danger or allies.

"Hatake-san." says a calm, professional voice in the tone a superior would use when ordering their subordinates to report. He instinctively tries to snap to attention but aborts the attempt when his whole body complains. The jarring motion helps to get the cogs turning in his head and he sits up gingerly, a hand on his back helping him upright and he opens his eyes, wincing at the brightness, and blinks incomprehensibly at the sight that greets him.

Bodies. Bodies and blood and thin wisps of pale grey smoke drifting up from blackened craters of what was obviously the remains of a katon jutsu or exploding tags. ' _Mission?_  'he wonders groggily, reaching up to rub at his eyes and ineffectively ameliorate his throbbing headache, a symptom of his chakra depletion, he recognizes. Yes, yes, there was a mission with Rin to… Kumo? No, it was Iwa. A low level escort mission and they went alone because a chunin and a jounin were more than enough. Was there… was there trouble? Something to account for the macabre scene in front of him? That's the only thing that makes sense… but… no… no, that wasn't….

_Rin!_

No. No, no, no, no, _no!_ They were ambushed on their way back and-

_They're surrounded and it doesn't look good. He knows he probably won't make it out of this alive but he doesn't care, not if he can protect Rin. He doesn't care, because this means he can see Obito again. Then there's an enemy running towards him and he readies his Chidori with a shrill shriek of dancing chakra and his aim is true. There's a split second of satisfaction and then the air wavers and…_

_There's so._

_Much._

**_Blood._ **

Heart pounding, his head whips to the side before he can stop himself, seeking the small, still form of the teammate he _failed, failed, IdiditagainohgodnowhyIpromised, I promised him and…_

And there she is, perfectly fine, her unblemished chest rising and falling, _breathing_ and kami how is this _possible?_ He remembers, he remembers the wet squelch of her chest giving way beneath his hand as _he tore through her_ and a sad smile beneath already lifeless eyes and blood, her blood, everywhere….

But she's alive. She's alive without so much a tear in her clothing to indicate that his memories are anything more than a dream and it _doesn't make sense_ because he knows implanted memories and how they feel, and his Sharingan eye would dispel an ordinary mind-altering jutsu automatically, and even if it was just a delusion it doesn't explain the bodies strewn about because there was just no way they could've possibly killed them all.

In his distress his hands clench instinctively over hard plastic that also has no place here. He looks down and for the first time in his life, he _believes._

Kakashi's never been a religious person. Few shinobi are or remain that way after long term exposure to the shinobi lifestyle, because it's hard to believe in a god when you're killing people for money, and harder still to keep believing and live knowing what awaits you when you die. Kakashi has never believed in the miracles god has been rumored to produce, but looking down at those battered, innocuous orange goggles he knows that somehow, some way, Obito saved them. He believes it even though it's impossible, even though it's ridiculous, even as his mind plays over the scene of his death once again and tells him that he couldn't have survived injuries like those. He believes, because for the first time in his life logic has failed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so, yeah. Lots and lots of trauma and confusion. I'm actually quite proud of the emotional distress part, because usually I'm crap at that but in this one it's just... perfect.
> 
> I know Rin seems a bit... okay, a lot over dramatic, but keep in mind that despite all her seeming mental fortitude in being in a team with Kakashi and Obito and surviving a war, she's still a thirteen year old girl who's just lost someone important to her. Battle-hardened veteran she may be, but this is the first time she's lost someone close to her, right in front of her eyes when she could've- to her mind- done something to save him. Honestly, her blaming herself makes a lot more sense than Kakashi blaming himself because it was HER that got captured, and being an angsty (even if at the bare minimum), insecure teenager she is, she'll see it as her lack of skill that lead her to being captured and Obito dying, that she's a liability on the field. She'll probably feel twice as responsible given that she's the medic of the team, responsible for her teammates' health. Seriously, Obito aside, ANYONE their age who's on a team with Kakashi's going to come out of it with self-esteem issues.


	7. Of Leaves and Spies and Family Reunions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I FINALLY wrote the Hokage's office scene! This one has a lot more character than my previous attempts. Hope you all appreciate just how hard it was to write this! I was just about ready to give up on it, too. I actually intended to finish up with Tenzo's perspective in this chapter, but it just ran so LONG... I had to split it up. I've got a LOT more written that I KNOW will be out soon, so just have some patience, please! And again, sorry it took so long to update!
> 
> Also, I haven't spent nearly as much time reading, re-reading, and re-re-rereading this chapter over and over again like I usually do for grammar mistakes, so please keep an eye out for them and tell me if you spot any.
> 
> Anyway, if you like it then please, PLEASE comment! Reviews seriously make my day- no, my entire week! Reviews motivate me into writing and getting second opinions on my stuff inspires me and gives me ideas on where I want to go with the story next.

The Hokage's office was kind of disappointing to Tenzo. He didn't know what he expected, but it wasn't this plain, bare, unassuming room that could belong to just about anyone. The only furniture they had in there was his desk and chair- both perfectly ordinary-looking and not at all what you'd expect a Hokage to use- two bookcases on the walls to the left and right, and a few chairs pushed off to the side- probably for civilian visitors, as shinobi never sit in front of their Kage unless injured or invited to. The Hokage himself was rather underwhelming as well; he was just an old man, grey and wrinkled with age, smoking an old-fashioned pipe. Tenzo couldn't help but stare. Shuurei told him how old people get wrinkly and their hair turns white, but he never quite believed her, even with Konan and Yahiko backing her up. This was his first time seeing an old person and it was _weird._ Was _he_ going to look like that some day?

Yet, however unassuming he seemed to be, Tenzo knew better than to dismiss him. Though his body language was relaxed and friendly- every inch of him screaming 'kindly old grandfather', an image he probably purposefully cultivated- there was no mistaking the chakra that hummed in the air around him, or the aura he gave off of an iron will and barely contained, oppressive power.

The only point of interest in the room besides the Hokage- who made Tenzo's instincts light up brighter than a flash-bomb- were the leaves scattered across the floor. Why are they there? Oh, he knows that they're what Konoha shinobi leave behind when they perform a shunshin, but you'd think that, this being the _Hokage's_ office, they'd have someone come in to sweep this up. Or maybe they do? Maybe they come in periodically to take care of them, and these have accumulated since the last time they did so? That'd mean a lot of people come in through here all the time, then, because they're seriously _everywhere._ Hmm… but maybe they leave them behind on purpose? Maybe they use the leaves as substitution material, for if they need to report in without anyone seeing them? That's actually an ingenious idea, leaving substitution material behind every time you shunshin so you can return at a moment's notice if necessary. Smart, but messy.

Shuurei stepped forward, drawing Tenzo out of his thoughts, and bowed deeply to the Hokage, a hand on his back forcing him to do the same. "Hokage-sama, thank you for agreeing to meet with me."

The old man smiled gently, but his eyes were wary and calculating, looking over the both of them and obviously mentally assessing danger levels and trying to guess at their origin and purpose. He frowned ever so slightly for a moment- obviously finding nothing because they were both under Shuurei's illusion seal- before slipping back into a friendly grin that scared the bejeezus out of Tenzo. "How could I do otherwise, when you use the password for Uzushio diplomats? Tell me, who am I addressing? For what reason did you want to see me?"

Shuurei opened her mouth to reply, but then her eyes darted to a corner of the room for a brief second as if something caught her attention and narrowed almost imperceptibly. "Before I do so, Hokage-sama, I must insist on the presence of Uzumaki Kushina."

"Oh?" the air in the room was suddenly much colder than it had been before, and the distracting buzz of chakra became a loud hum that was almost audible- a clear warning. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid Uzumaki-san is out on a mission at the moment."

Where Tenzo was cringing away from the killer intent in the air, intimidated, Shuurei simply straightened up, posture just as relaxed as before- tensing now could be seen as preparing to attack and would bring Anbu down on them faster than they could blink- but the look in her eyes was much colder, with a hard edge of steel. "Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but that is a lie. I can sense her chakra not three blocks from here."

His eyes widened for a moment in surprise for a second before narrowing thoughtfully. "Your ability to sense chakra is remarkably precise." he commented dryly. "And you're familiar with Kushina-san's signature." He didn't ask directly, but the question was implied.

"So I am." There was a pause as he waited for her to elaborate, but she didn't expand on her statement, simply staring at him expectantly. The Hokage sighed and, with a quick motion Tenzo didn't quite catch, summoned his Anbu who suddenly appeared in the corner of the room.

'So that's what she was looking at', he realized. 'Anbu. But that's not the corner she was so concerned with.'

"Boar, Crane, please fetch Uzumaki-san and bring her here at once. Tell her there is someone here to see her."

The Anbu inclined their heads with a "Hai, Hokage-sama." and disappeared, adding to the pile of leaves on the floor. Tenzo couldn't help but frown at them in contemplation.

Shuurei noticed this and smiled in amusement, recognizing that expression. "What's caught your attention this time, sapling?"

"Um…" he glanced up at her before turning his gaze to the Hokage. "The leaves on the floor are from shunshin, right?"

The Hokage blinked, having almost forgotten about the quiet little boy. "Yes indeed. It comes with being the Hokage, as shunshin is the quickest way in or out of my office."

"Well, um, why does the shunshin leave leaves behind?"

The old man blinked again at his line of questioning before his lips turned up in a wide, genuine smile at the bright curiosity in the young boy's eyes. The man didn't earn the moniker 'The Professor' for no reason, and so he couldn't just answer the question straight out. What would the boy learn if he never figured things out for himself? "Why do you think that is?"

"Substitution material." Tenzo answered promptly, surprising the Hokage. "If they leave something behind, not only can they mark their original location with the leaves- that I can sense have minute traces of chakra- but they can also substitute themselves with them, a technique that is much harder to detect than shunshin. So, if someone needed to speak with you secretly after reporting in they could pop back in later with no one but Anbu knowing about it."

The Hokage's eyes widened comically, the pipe falling out of his mouth and onto the table as he gaped slightly. He took a moment to collect himself. "You are… a very smart boy. Not many would even think to question why, so many shinobi dismiss it as just being a part of the jutsu. I can count on one hand the number of people who've asked me that question, and only two have ever come up with the correct answer themselves, neither as young as you are now." Obviously something bad happened to the both of them, if the way his grip on the pipe tightened and he hunched in on himself ever so slightly were any indication. Hopefully he wouldn't continue the trend.

Shuurei smiled at him proudly and ruffled his hair, ignoring Tenzo's squawk of protest. "That's my son. He's got quite a head on his shoulders."

Tenzo _beamed,_ overjoyed to have made his mother proud. The Hokage looked on at the heartwarming scene with a gradually softening countenance, getting a good feeling from the mother-son duo.

The familial moment was interrupted by a large bang that had Tenzo jumping a little and sliding nervously behind his mother, who'd swiveled to face the door, one hand on her weapons holster. The disturbance was a distinctly agitated woman who'd slammed the door open and glared at the Hokage, her shockingly bright red hair seemingly moving against gravity to form nine thick strands that waved in the air independently of each other, as if they each had a mind of their own.

Any other time Tenzo would've laughed at the thought of the Hokage retreating from one of his own jounin, but the sight was truly eerie. The KI she was giving off wasn't anything to sneeze at either, so he didn't blame him for not-so-subtly scooching his chair back a bit.

"You made me leave my ramen, 'ttebane! _Ramen,_ Sarutobi-sama! Do you know how long it's been since I had the chance to eat Teuchi's ramen? I'm having withdrawals!! Sarutobi-sama, I will _die_ if I don't get to eat Teuchi's ramen soon!I'm not even on the active duty rosters, dattebane! What could you possibly need from me?" Wow, was she _loud._ Tenzo has lived with fiery-tempered Uzumaki children for almost six years. He thought he was immune to loud noises by now- but none of them have anything on Kushina. She's definitely an Uzumaki, that's for sure. He wondered if their voices only got worse as they got older, and he paled suddenly at the thought of twenty-plus Uzumaki with Kushina's voice all in the same place, vowing to invest in earplugs in the nearby future. _Industrial strength_ earplugs.

 The Hokage hurried to redirect her wrath. "Now, now, Kushina, we have guests."

She looked at them and blinked curiously, obviously either not having noticed them until that second or dismissing their presence. Kushina- a great shinobi even though she lets her temper get the best of her sometimes- was instantly on guard, scanning them the same way Sarutobi did earlier to assess threat level and coming up with the same results, her eyebrows drawing together slightly in frustration. If Tenzo thought she was scary earlier, her sudden change from furious to calculating scared him even more.

Then her lips twitched into a minor scowl and Tenzo felt a _little_ better. "You owe me a bowl, Sarutobi-sama." she grumbled, her hair once again subject to the laws of gravity.

"I'll take you out after I'm done with my work tonight." he promised her, then turned to Shuurei. "She's here, just like you requested. Now, if we may get down to the purpose of this meeting?"

Shuurei nodded. "Right. Well, the information I wish to share with you is sensitive. _Extremely_ sensitive. Therefore I would like your permission to lay down some additional privacy seals before I proceed any further." The two shinobi tensed at the mention of seals, and Shuurei rushed to reassure them. "I won't activate it. I won't use any chakra at all before Kushina-san here can examine them and confirm their purpose. Do I have permission?"

Sarutobi contemplated it for a moment, assessing her with a cool eye, before reluctantly nodding his head in agreement.

"Right." Very slowly she reached for her bag and pulled out a larger than usual paper tag that she then laid down on the floor and stepped away from, gesturing for Kushina to take a look. After a moment Kushina nodded her head.

"It's as she says. Designed to disrupt sound for all whose chakra isn't keyed into the seal, with a minor visual component to obscure ones lips so they can't be read. That's the only visual part of it, however. If you use sign language to signal your guards they will have no problem understanding you."

"Alright, you may activate your seal, stranger-san."

She did so, and immediately the tension drained out of her body. "Oh thank god. I'm so glad you let me put the seal down. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to have to use it, but I'm glad I made it just in case."

"Now that Kushina-san is here and your seal is up, could you tell us who you are?" Sarutobi asked with more than a little exasperation in his voice.

"Ah, yes, sorry. First off, this is not my true appearance."

The both of them frowned and brought their hands together for a quick "kai" and a flurry of chakra, but Shuurei appeared as she always had. "I can't sense any genjutsu."

"You wouldn't, because it's not a genjutsu. It's a seal I've made. Easily detectable if you know what you're looking for, but since shinobi tend to think genjutsu when they get suspicious few ever look any further when kai doesn't work."

Sarutobi studied her for a moment, then smiled suddenly, an excited gleam in his eyes. "Ah, it doesn't affect the mind but actually physically bends light rays! I see, no wonder disrupting one's own chakra would not affect it, because it doesn't affect another's chakra at all. Very clever."

Shuurei smiled. "Thank you. Now, to be able to see me without my dispelling the technique, I need you both to contribute a drop of blood to the seal. I will, of course, allow Uzumaki-san to check the seal beforehand."

Shuurei brought out another seal, this time a scroll edged in a pattern of blue and green triangles. Kushina leaned forward to dissect its purpose and her eyes widened immediately at the complexity of the seal, her interest sharpening as she realized its ingenuity. "This is incredible!" she exclaimed loudly, causing Tenzo to jump a little again at the sudden noise in a previously tense atmosphere. "I've never seen anyone combine the linear and traditional branches like this before! And the pattern you made with the line here…" she gestured to the complex loops and swirls of the line that outlined and intersected the seal.

"It's called a Celtic Knot." Shuurei explained, then sighed at the puzzled unrecognition on their faces. "It's a very powerful pattern made up of a single, never-ending line that works very well in containing the power of a seal. I came up with it myself." Only Tenzo saw her cross her fingers behind her back.

"You-!" Kushina exclaimed, bug-eyed. Shuurei cut her off with a wince at her decibels.

"We can discuss this later. Do you confirm that the seal is harmless, and exactly as I say it is?"

"Yeah, all it does is bend light rays. There's no harm in that."

"Not unless you get skin cancer." she muttered, completely ignoring the befuddled looks Sarutobi and Kushina exchanged. "So, will you contribute some of your blood?"

"On the condition that the seal is burned after it's served its purpose. In front of me." Sarutobi agreed.

"Sure." Shuurei agreed dismissively, flapping a hand. "I drew another one up anyway, just in case." She held out the scroll with the seal on it and Tenzo winced as Sarutobi bit into his thumb and smeared blood onto the design, Kushina doing the same a moment later. The seal shone white for an instant before it went back to black, and the moment it did the illusion fell away from their eyes and his and Shuurei's true appearances were revealed.

The moment Kushina saw Shuurei and her fiery locks her eyes lit up in recognition and ecstatic relief. "Firebird!" she yelled and tackled Shuurei, pulling her into a monstrous bear hug using all her strength that had Shuurei gasping for air before she returned the favor and did the same to Kushina.

"Snap Dragon." Shuurei called her affectionately, a tension Tenzo never noticed she had falling away, making her look younger and more relaxed than Tenzo thinks he's ever seen her.

He had a sudden, unexpected surge of jealousy that this woman- a blood relative, which he is not- managed to do something Tenzo was never able to. That this stranger knows more about Shuurei than he does. He squashed it down. There's a lot Tenzo doesn't know about his adoptive mother from before he met her, but it's not from a lack of trust. Shuurei's always been very honest with him about the important things, like her reincarnation and her knowledge of the future. She's holding out on him now not because she doesn't trust her, but because the memories are painful. He can tell, by the look on her face when anyone asks, the look he sees in the mirror when he thinks about his time in Orochimaru's lab. He has memories he can't bring himself to share as well. He won't begrudge Shuurei this happiness.

Besides, if he's going to be living with this woman then he'll have plenty of time to get the scoop on any embarrassing childhood stories from her. He wonders what he can get Obito to do in exchange for sharing them the next time they meet and grins at the possibilities.

"That hair… you are an Uzumaki. Kushina, you know her?"

"Of course I do, dattebane!" Kushina exclaimed, beaming ecstatically. "This is my aunt, Shuurei-chan!"

"Your aunt? She looks a little young to be an aunt."

She laughed. "Yeah, she gets that a lot. See, she has this condition…" she trailed of suddenly, as if realizing that what she was about to say was rather personal.

Shuurei continued on. "I have an extremely rare condition that occurs amongst Uzumaki children as a consequence of our vitality-based kekei genkai. I age half as fast as a normal person does."

Kushina turned to study Shuurei intently. "Actually, Shuurei-san, you look like you've grown a lot since I saw you last. You should only be fifteen physically right now, but you look like you're twenty-something.

Shuurei's expression darkened, taking on that vacant look she gets when she thinks about Uzushio. Tenzo, concerned, squeezed her hand lightly to remind her that he was there for her. "When Uzushio…" she took a deep, fortifying breath, "When Uzushio fell it was dangerous for me to run around in the body of a twelve year old, so I took the medicine, the one that speeds up my growth rate."

"They had something like that? Then why didn't you take it from the beginning?!"

"Because, Kushina, it would only give me somewhere from five to ten years of growth, and then I'm stuck at whatever age it leaves me. I can't age anymore. I'm going to look like this for the rest of my life."

Kushina gaped, shocked, then burst out yelling, "Lucky! You'll never have to worry about crows feet or wrinkles or grey hairs…!"

She rolled her eyes, in tolerant, amused exasperation. "Only you, Snap Dragon. Only you."

The Hokage coughed a bit to cover up a laugh. "Actually, that sounds pretty good to me." the old man grinned wryly, taking off his hat and reaching up to rub at the thinning patches of white hair atop his head. "A lot of people would kill to look like they're twenty for the rest of their lives."

"Really?" Shuurei asked, seeming genuinely surprised.

"How is such a thing possible?" the Hokage asked, fascinated. "I've never heard of anything like it."

"You wouldn't have. It's an extremely rare condition that's only been seen five times in recorded history- not counting Shuurei-chan. Uzumaki Mito-sama actually had it too, which is why she looked like she was thirty when she died of old age." Kushina's smile faltered at the mention of her old teacher, and Shuurei frowned sadly, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Some of the elders thought that it resulted from marriages between the Uzumaki and the Tsumeito clan, a combination of two different regenerative abilities. I think there might be something to that, because my father was a Tsumeito and if you look back on the family tree you'll find that all of the other cases had at least some Tsumeito heritage."

Kushina snorted. "Yeah, like that means anything. _Everyone_ was related to the Tsumeito _somehow."_

"I still think it makes sense."

Sarutobi coughed to get their attention, then shot Shuurei a pointed glare. "As fascinating as this is, perhaps we could get back on topic? Shuurei-san, if you've been aware of Kushina-san's presence in our village for all these years, why haven't you tried to contact her before? Why are you here now? Why the secrecy?"

Kushina rounded on her, hurt and accusing. "Yeah, that's right! Why haven't you… all these years and you never…" she faltered, her lower lip quivering slightly, a sheen of unshed tears in her eyes. "It would've meant the world to me if I'd known… if I knew that _anyone_ survived." she all but whispered, voice thick with emotion.

Shuurei looked on sadly, guilt evident in her expression. "I'm sorry, Kushi-chan. After Uzushio fell, well… there were a lot of people out there hunting the survivors. Uzumaki blood is premium, after all, and our fuinjutsu knowledge invaluable if another village managed to get their hands on it. Making for  the hidden villages, especially one well-known to have had an alliance with Uzushio, would've brought the hunters down on my head faster than an Uzumaki on a bowl of ramen. I was afraid to send a message with my summons for the same reason. I've been wandering around these past few years looking for survivors, those without the protection of a village, and… well, you were safe here. I didn't have to worry for your safety."

Kushina sagged some, wiping at her damp eyes, and gave her a shaky smile. "I understand." She was still way quieter than earlier, subdued, and Shuurei seemed worried and guilty. "So, why now?"

Shuurei took a deep breath, body language tense. "I- Kushina, this isn't the first time I've been to Konoha. I was here last month, on the tenth."

Kushina's eyebrows furrowed, confused. "During the Kyuubi attack?"

"Yes. I was there, but I was under a disguise like the one I just showed you. Kushi-chan, I was the one who sealed your son."

Instantly their attention sharpened to something  threatening to be hostile. Kushina's hand hovered over her weapon's pouch and Sarutobi thrummed with chakra in preparation for a jutsu to either detain or defend. "What?! That was _you?"_

"Yes I- well, I didn’t have much choice! You were down for the count, and that husband of yours was prepping a suicide seal! You've no doubt studied it extensively, you know I did no harm. In fact, my seal will be much easier on the kid than the Reaper Death Seal would've been."

At the mention of her husband, Kushina almost seemed to shrink, retreating in on herself, her eyes distant. It was only then that he noticed just how haggard she looked, the deep circles underneath her eyes, the rumpled state of her clothes, how thin she was. He didn't see it before because of her blinding enthusiasm, but she looked completely exhausted and shaky on her feet. No wonder, too, if she had to deal with the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack, a newborn, and losing her husband all within the span of a month. Tenzo felt obscurely guilty for interrupting the woman's down time, since she's obviously been working herself into the ground.

Shuurei seemed to notice the same, because she pulled Kushina into a one-armed half-hug and let Kushina lean her head on Shuurei's shoulder. "I'm so sorry that all this has happened to you when this should be the happiest time of your life. You'll have to introduce me to little Naruto-kun when you get the chance. I do have good news for you, however. The reason why I had to leave the village immediately and couldn't contact you when I was here last month."

She frowned, puzzled. "News?"

Eyeing her pale and distraught form, Shuurei shifted uneasily. "Maybe you should sit down." she said, pulling a chair from the wall and pushing Kushina into it.

"Shuurei…?"

Shuurei took a deep breath, then said, "Minato is not dead, Kushina."

What remaining color she had drained out of her face and her eyes bulged as she gaped at Shuurei, a flicker of hope in her expression. "Not-?"

Shuurei rushed to continue. "He was very close to dying, but I have some special seals I've invented that allowed me to… well, to basically freeze him in time before he died. I knew that, with the extensive wounds he had, there was no one in Konoha who could heal him since Tsunade-sama left, so I was forced to take off immediately and seek the assistance of an incredibly skilled medic I know who owes me a favor- or thinks she does, anyway. Kushina, she was able to save him. He's still alive, though… he's yet to wake up. The medic says that the high exposure to bijuu chakra unbalanced the chakra in his brain and that he'll likely be comatose until that's sorted out. She said… she said it could take a long time. Years."

Kushina latched onto her arm with a vice and pulled her down to eye level. "But he's alive?" she demanded. "He… he could wake up, some day?" At Shuurei's nod she broke out into tears- full-on sobs this time, with snot and everything, and Tenzo pulled a clump of tissues from the box on the mini table near the door and handed them to Kushina who smiled at him gratefully. "God, he's alive. He's _alive…"_

"And where is he?" the Hokage demanded, gripping the edge of his desk with a white-knuckled grip, expression inscrutable.

Shuurei once again reached into her satchel and pulled out a scroll edged with yellow and blue stripes, placing it carefully on the table and backing away slowly. "Inside that scroll is my own personal modified storage seal, designed to allow me to seal away living people so that they don't come to harm. He's under a stasis seal inside, just in case he wakes up or his condition worsens for whatever reason. I thought it would be prudent to be around medical professionals just in case. A small blast of my chakra will undo those for you. I will caution you, though. As a Hokage and a significant threat during the war, there are many people who wouldn't want him to wake up again. You should play this as close to the vest as possible, at least until he wakes up. Absolutely no one should know unless necessary, and I include the Council in that, and your advisors."

"I- I see." The Hokage murmured, looking absolutely gobsmacked. "Yes, that would be wise. And about this medic you went to see…?"

"Sworn into secrecy. I've gone to her for help several times over the years and not once has she ever failed me or said a word to anyone. I would never endanger Kushi-chan's husband."

It was as if a weight fell away from Sarutobi's shoulders. He sat up straighter, some of the lines in his face disappearing, a relieved smile on his lips and a light in his eyes. "If this is true, then Konoha owes you a debt of gratitude."

Shuurei waved his words away flippantly. "He means a lot to Kushina-chan, and that makes him family. You'll find that I'll do anything for family."

"Nevertheless, if you ever need anything…."

Shuurei hesitated, glancing at Tenzo. "Well… I was coming to Konoha in the first place for another reason. Two, actually. The first is a warning."

"A warning?"

"Yes. Before I say anything, I have to tell you that you can't react to anything I'm about to say."

His brows knitted in a frown. "This sounds serious."

"It is. Hokage-sama, that Anbu in the corner, the one with the Bat mask? He has a seal for secrecy and compliance on his tongue."

Though Tenzo- and doubtless Shuurei- felt the shift in their chakra, neither of them reacted beyond that. Tenzo was impressed at their acting abilities. Kushina simply plastered a realistic smile on her face and hissed, _"Spies!_ I _hate_ spies!"

The Hokage simply leveled her a calm look. "Your sensory abilities are that refined?"

She shook her head. "No. Well, yes, but that's not how I know. It comes from being an Uzumaki, you see. Some of us can just sense seals, even from a distance. Those that have this ability from birth all inevitably have a knack with fuinjutsu, but even those that can't can unlock it if they study seals hard enough, though it's not guaranteed."

"But you can't tell what the seals are for!" Kushina interjected. "How do you know it's a compliance seal?"

"Because I've sensed something like it before." Sarutobi leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and hiding his mouth behind his intertwined hands. "I came across in in Ame, following up on a rumor I heard about a red-haired man leading the resistance movement there. I tracked them down by following rumors and analyzing the remains of battlefields, and I found them just in time to save them from an ambush by a combination of Hanzo's forces and several unknown shinobi with distinctly Konoha chakra signatures. It concerned me because I knew that Konoha didn't have an alliance with Ame, and in fact hostilities at the time were at an all-time high. I made it a point to keep tabs on Konoha, including your political climate, so I knew there was something wrong and investigated the corpses after the battle. I found one of them still alive, the seal on his tongue yet to disappear. And managed to make a copy of it." She rummaged around in her satchel and brought out another scroll edged with a solid black band and handed it to Kushina.

Kushina took one look at the seal and paled once again, horror on her face. "This is… this is abominable! How could anyone put this on another person?!"

Sarutobi shut his eyes tightly, exhaling. "So not just a spy, a traitor."

Shuurei shot him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry I had to deliver such terrible news, but I thought you should know. If you apprehend that Anbu later and take the necessary precautions, you will find this same seal, and if whoever it is that put it there managed to get one on your Anbu…."

"Then they're very well placed. I can't trust anyone." he stated wearily. "I'm too old for this." he complained, kneading his forehead with the palm of his hand.

"Be careful." Shuurei murmured, sympathetic.

Tenzo, who'd been following the conversation with a great deal of interest, was starting to get impatient. Shuurei had yet to mention their other reason for coming here. "Kaa-san." he nudged her, bringing him to their attention.

"Kaa-san?" Kushina repeated blankly, then she broke out in a wide grin. "Oh my kami, Shuurei-chan, you have a son?! Congratulations! I _better_ be godmother, dattebane!"

Shuurei shot her a look that said 'are you serious?' and rolled her eyes. "How can I have a son his age? I was physically twelve when he was conceived! No, I adopted him. He's actually the other reason why I'm here. Kushina, Hokage-sama, this is Tenzo-kun. He wants to be a shinobi."

"Oh my kami, he's so _cute!"_ Tenzo scowled at the demeaning description. "Just look at him and that baby face of his, and those eyes! They're so striking!" He grimaced at the mention of his eyes and pouted slightly. He hates his eyes, which were the byproduct of Orochimaru's experiments. He misses his old green ones.

"I'm not a baby!" he exclaimed. "I'm nine years old!" What was up with adults and calling him cute? Honestly. He's not a _girl._

"He is, isn't he?" Shuurei agreed, smiling fondly and completely ignoring Tenzo's sputtering protests. Then her expression turned serious. "There are… certain circumstances you need to be aware of." She glanced down at him as if asking permission. Taking a shaky breath, he nodded his consent, bracing himself for the emotional upheaval that was sure to come.

"Do you remember five years ago, when there was that rash of kidnappings, children going missing?" Both of them tensed, seeing where this was going. "Well, I decided to look into it since I was in the area and, through a string of good luck, I managed to locate one of the facilities the children were being held at… Orochimaru's laboratory." Sarutobi sucked in a sharp breath at the mention of his former student, eyes haunted. "It'd been abandoned for a while once I got there and… I don't think I need to describe to you the horrors I saw. Dead children in test tubes, many mutilated beyond recognition beforehand and some who'd… been dead for quite some time already." Kushina turned her head to the side, looking distinctly green. "At first I thought they were all dead, but when I went to investigate to make sure I heard something and came just in time to save Tenzo, who by some miracle was dying but still alive."

"You." the Hokage's eyes widened in dawning comprehension. "You were the one… the one who buried their bodies. Not Orochimaru."

She gave a dead, hollow laugh. "You think Orochimaru would take the time to clean up after himself? Much less give them their rites. He couldn't even be bothered to kill them once he'd finished with them." Tenzo's breath hitched with his rising panic and he pressed himself into her side, breathing in her scent and reminding himself that _it's over, she exists, it's never going to happen again._ "It's okay, honey. It's alright, I'm here." she murmured gently, her soft voice chasing the memories away.

"I'm sorry." the Hokage said gravely, looking positively ancient with grief and guilt.

"There's more." she continued. "His experiments… weren't as unsuccessful as he'd thought."

Kushina gasped, eyes bulging in disbelief. "You can't mean that…?"

"He has the Mokuton. Hokage-sama, I will not allow him to be shunted into Anbu and disappear. I will not allow anyone to destroy his childhood any more than _that man_ already has." Shuurei glared at him heatedly, and once again Tenzo realized just how lucky it was that Shuurei found him, just how much she cares about him, because like this, Shuurei was _fierce._ Scarier even than Konan when Yahiko slips up and swears around them, and she's _terrifying._

The Hokage sighed heavily. "Shuurei-san, you have to realize that the Mokuton is a valuable asset to the village. I would like nothing more than to let him live out his life as a normal child, but once the Council gets wind of this, once the other villages realize we have the Mokuton…"

"Then don't tell them!" Shuurei snapped. "Treat him as just another child whose parents live outside the village! I've been working with Tenzo on controlling his abilities for years now, he can use doton and suiton separately from his wood release, he can hide it. Let him grow up away from the spotlight, let him become a chunin and jounin on his own and establish himself amongst the ranks before you reveal his abilities. At least then, when they're revealed, he'll have a solid support base and allies amongst his peers if anyone does try something. No one will be able to sweep him under the rug without anyone knowing." She pinned him with an unrelenting stare. "This situation is Konoha's fault, for letting one of your own go so far astray. It's the least you can do."

"You're right." he conceded, gravelly voice even rougher with regret. "Fine, I'll grant your request. So long as the boy is able to keep his abilities secret, I'll make sure he's treated as any other citizen."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Shuurei," Kushina interjected. "Are you going to join the village?" she asked hopefully.

Shuurei frowned and shook her head. "No, there are still things I have to do outside the village, still leads I have to follow up on, looking for survivors. I will eventually, Dragon-chan, don't you worry. Which reminds me," she turned back to the Hokage, "I'm also here to give a declaration of intent to restore the Uzumaki to clan status and eventually join Konoha."

"Wait, what?!" Kushina gasped, blanching. "But there's only two of us!"

Shuurei rolled her eyes. "Honestly Kushina, you really think I'd go wandering around the Elemental Nations and not find _anyone?_ I mean sure Uzushio is pretty small, but we were still a _village._ I found a few families, a few stray members here and there, and while none of them wanted to actually come to Konoha, they've agreed to staying within Fire Country and being put on the family rosters so they can claim clan benefits. Plus…" she hesitated, eyes staring off into the distance as she deliberated over something, then nodded to herself. "Plus, during the attack, I managed to use a seal I invented- the one I used on Minato, the Live Sealing Scroll- to save some of the children."

Kushina looked about a second away from bursting into tears- again. Funny, Tenzo hadn't pegged her for a crybaby when she burst into the room like that- actually, she reminded him a lot of Obito, is this where he got it?- but then, a _lot_ of stuff has happened today. _He's_ exhausted just following the conversation, she's been actively joining in. And she looked pretty tired to begin with.

"Hey, um… Uzumaki-san?" Both Shuurei and Kushina turned to look at him at the same time, then glanced at each other and promptly burst out laughing.

"Just call me Kushina, Tenzo-kun. It'll get confusing if you don't."

"Ah, okay. Then… Kushina-san?"

She smiled at him brightly, and it made him feel better. A little less out of place. She has Shuurei's smile, he realized. The smile like everything's fine and the world better not dare even try to mess with her or she'll prank the hell out of it. Except, a little more wild than Shuurei's smile. "Um, Kushina-san, you look pretty tired… shouldn't you go get some sleep?"

Her eyes flickered briefly in surprise before they softened, and now she was giving him a smile close to Shuurei's when he called her Kaa-san, or when she woke him up from a nightmare and ran her fingers through his hair until he fell asleep again. It was kind of startling, how similar they were even though they looked so different. They just had this aura about them that was soft and warm and safe.

"It's nice of you to worry, Tenzo-kun. You're very… polite." Though she said it like a compliment she cringed just a little at that last word. "A bit stiff, though. We'll have to take care of that."

"Don't worry Kushina," Shuurei interjected, "he's been exposed to high levels of Uzumaki early on- he's not nearly as angelic as he seems. He is a very good boy though, very kind." Shuurei gave Kushina a thorough once-over, assessing. "But he _is_ right. You look like death warmed over. Have you even recovered from having the Kyuubi extracted?"

Kushina waved her off. "I'm fine. Uzumaki don't stay down for long, after all." It would've been a lot more convincing if she hadn't chosen that exact moment to wobble on her feet.

Shuurei caught her elbow and held her steady. "We have very durable _bodies,_ Snap Dragon. Our minds, however, are just as fragile as the next person's, and _you_ have had to deal with a lot of emotional crap _and_ a newborn this past month." She turned to the Hokage, who was watching them with a small smile and an approving glint in his eyes, "Hokage-sama? Is it okay if we leave now? I know we still have a lot to discuss, but I think we can leave that for tomorrow, right? Are we cleared to walk the village?"

"Yes, of course you are. Here," He rummaged around in his desk and pulled out two small leather-bound booklets, wrote something in them, and then handed them to Shuurei who pried open the cover one-handed and scanned it briefly before tossing one to Tenzo. "If anyone gives you trouble, just show them that. I don't think they will, however. You don't have a hitai-ate on and some people don't wear them out in the open, so they'll probably just take you for an off-duty shinobi."

Shuurei ducked her head, too busy keeping a protesting Kushina on her feet to give him a full bow. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. You are far more reasonable than I had any hope to expect."

He quirked an amused eyebrow. "It's you who's been doing me so many favors, giving away valuable information for little cost, allying Konoha with a powerful clan… giving Kushina a family again. This is the least I can do."

She bowed her head deferentially once again, then escorted a stumbling Kushina out of the office, Tenzo following on her heels.

He could tell it was pretty late once they'd gotten outside, and realized that they'd spent a lot of time in there. Judging by the sun, they had maybe an hour until sunset. While Kushina directed them through the streets, Tenzo took the opportunity to study the village as they passed through, noting that a lot of the buildings seemed brand new and the general air of the people was strained and tired, probably from the Kyuubi attack. He gawked openly at the Hokage monument and commented to Shuurei that Konoha certainly likes things big, which made her and Kushina laugh.

As they passed by a lot of people greeted Kushina with a smile, but some people scowled at her and whispered to their companions, and Tenzo didn't understand why. Sure Kushina was loud, but… she's still really nice. Some of them even seemed afraid of her, though he guessed that was understandable if they'd ever seen her do that weird hair thingy when she's mad.

Kushina's house was near the outskirts of the village, a medium sized house surrounded by trees on the edge of a forest. The walls were painted a pretty, cheerful yellow with grey-blue roofing tiles and out front there was a large garden chock full of flowers and herbs that weren't doing to well. Tenzo paused on his way in to crouch by the flower bed and run a finger over the petals of a drooping tiger lily, sending some of his chakra through it to help it perk up some, and was happy to see it straighten up a little and turn its petals skywards. Then he followed them inside.

"Rin-chan?" Kushina called upstairs. "Rin-chan, I'm home and I brought visitors!"

There was the sound of someone moving upstairs and then a pretty girl with short brown hair and eyes and blocky purple clan markings on her face came down, a fussing yellow haired baby in her arms. "Welcome home, Kushina-san. Who are they?" She peered curiously at them, her large brown eyes lighting up, and Tenzo found himself feeling nervous for some reason. He shifted in place, his face burning, and he wasn't quite sure why.

"Rin-chan, the best thing happened today! She's in disguise right now, but this is my Aunt Shuurei. She's told me she's found survivors from my village!" Kushina exclaimed excitedly as she took Naruto from her.

"That's wonderful Kushina-san! You must be so happy… I know you miss your village a lot." she turned to face Shuurei and bowed slightly, then introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Nohara Rin, a… friend of Kushina-san's and a chunin of Konohagakure. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Hello, Rin-chan. My name is Uzumaki Shuurei. It's nice to meet you." She smiled and held her hand out to Rin, who just blinked and stared at it in confusion. Shuurei's smile turned into a rueful grimace, her hand moving to rub the back of her neck sheepishly. "Oh, uh, sorry. Habit."

"No problem. So, Shuurei-san is it? You don't look much like Kushina-san." She commented as Kushina moved them into the dining room, bouncing slightly in place as she tried to calm Naruto.

They sat down as Rin bustled about in the kitchen, making tea at Kushina's request. "Oh, I don't really look like this. Me and Tenzo-kun here are in disguise for various reasons."

Rin paused in her motions to put the kettle on the stove. "In disguise? So you're ninja then?"

"I am. Tenzo-kun will be joining the Academy soon."

"Really?" Rin set a plate of cookies in front of them and joined them at the table. "That's great, Tenzo-kun. You must be excited. So, if you're new to the village, where were you living before?"

Sipping at the tea, Tenzo grimaced at the bitter flavor and added a few spoonfuls of sugar from the bowl. Next to him Shuurei did the same as she answered, "We've been travelling the past few years, trying to track down any survivors."

"Oh? That sounds amazing! Where all have you been?"

"Earth, Iron, Wind, skirted the borders of Water a few times though since there was conflict at the time we didn't get too close. Been everywhere, really."

Rin looked out the window, staring off into the distance with a dreamy expression that made her look even prettier. "You must've seen so much! I hope I can travel like that some day. Being deployed during the war isn't exactly the ideal setting for sight-seeing."

"Maybe you can some day. Give it a few years to cool down and you won't have to rush through your missions."

"Speaking of," Kushina chimed in, "how's it going at the hospital, Rin-chan? They've got to be easing up some, if you have enough time to babysit for me."

Rin's eyes darkened, remembering the chaos that has engulfed the hospital over the past month. The injuries on the victims of the Kyuubi attack had not been pretty, and she'd never felt so overwhelmed before. "Well, since the minor and immediately life-threatening injuries have been taken care of the work's slowed down a lot. We're still over capacity, but not nearly as crowded as we were. It's still touch and go for a few cases, but right now the majority of the patients are those with injuries that'll take some time to heal enough for them to be released and the coma patients whose chakra was messed up by exposure to bijuu chakra. It's calmed down enough that we can let go of the genin teams we drafted to assist the medics, but we're running low on medicine. The hospital's made a bulk order to Wave, but it'll take at least two weeks to get here.

"You're a medic-nin, Rin-chan? That's impressive for someone your age. I'm a medic too, though I'm only decent at best." Shuurei munched on her third cookie, practically cramming it in her mouth. Tenzo was sneaking a fifth. Those were some good cookies.

"You are?" Kushina asked, dumbfounded. "I never figured you for a medic. Yeah, Rin-chan's a very good medic, a prodigy even. Her mentor says she might even be as good as Tsunade someday." Kushina boasted. Rin turned beet-red and Kushina ruffled her hair with a laugh and a proud smile, as proud as if Rin was her own daughter.

She grinned at Rin. "Is that so? If you work hard, I have no doubt that you will. You should aim higher, though. Don't just aim to be _as good as_ Tsunade, surpass her." Taking a sip of her tea, she continued, "You said the hospital's running low on medicine? I might be able to help out with that. As I've travelled over the years I've amassed quite an inventory of medicinal herbs of all kinds."

Rin sighed, rubbing at her eyes. "Every little bit helps, I guess," she answered as Shuurei went for her satchel, "but I don't think a few jars will do all that-"

Shuurei unrolled the scroll and pumped a bit of chakra into it. There was a puff of smoke and when it cleared the table was almost completely covered in neatly labelled jars of herbs and salves.

"-much." she finished weakly, eyes wide as she scanned the labels. "You found all these in the wild?!"

"For the most part." Tenzo knew that that was a lie. The medicines were probably those she made from the herbs she's been growing and storing up for a 'special occasion'. He wondered if she stockpiled them with this particular situation in mind. He wouldn't be surprised. Shuurei always seems to have a plan, a reason for doing things. "There are three more scrolls where that came from. Should tide them over until the shipment gets here."

"I- _three_ _more scrolls?"_ Rin gaped incredulously for a moment before she collected herself. "How much do you want for them?" she asked, suddenly all business

"Nothing. You can have them, free of charge. Consider it a donation."

"But-" Rin sputtered, shocked, "but these medicines are all incredibly valuable! You had to have put so much work into gathering and preparing them, and you're just giving them away?"

She simply shrugged. "I made that medicine to help people, not to make myself rich. If it can do some good, I'll be happy to give it away."

Rin opened her mouth as if to say something, but decided against it, giving Shuurei a look of respect and admiration as she scooped up the scrolls Shuurei placed on the table. "I have to get these to the hospital and test them. It was nice to meet you, Shuurei-san, and thank you very much."

"Don't mention that I was the one who gave it to you!" Shuurei hurried to tell her.

Rin blinked, then shrugged her shoulders and nodded as she turned to the window. "If you say so."

"Thank you for watching over Naruto for me, Rin." Kushina called after her

"No problem!" Rin yelled back as she leapt for the rooftops and off into the sunset. Tenzo stared after her, slightly dazed and wondering why his face felt so hot.

"Hey, you okay Tenzo?" Shuurei asked suddenly, putting her hand on his forehead to check for a temperature. "You look a bit flushed."

"I- uh- I'm fine!" Tenzo squeaked, not sure why he felt so embarrassed all of a sudden.

Shuurei narrowed her eyes, then squinted in the direction Rin took off. Her eyes widened as if she'd realized something, and she smirked at him in a way that made him distinctly uncomfortable. "Oh ho ho." she chuckled. "Well _that's_ interesting."

"What?" Tenzo demanded, shifting in place.

Kushina glanced between Shuurei's face and then his, then broke out in a broad grin with an edge of mischief that made him apprehensive. He knows that look. That's the look Obito gets when he's found something new to tease you over, or thought of a new prank idea. "Oh, how _cute."_

"Come on, _what's_ cute? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh nothing, my little boy is growing up is all." She patted his shoulder and then turned her attention to Kushina- more specifically, the little yellow bundle in her arms. "So this is little Naruto-kun, huh? Oh, he's so cute! Looks just like his father."

She chuckled, smiling sweetly at her son. "He may look like his father, but he's obviously taking after me personality-wise. Just loves to kick up a fuss. Got a set of lungs on him too, like you wouldn't believe."

"Oh, I believe it. He's _your_ son after all. Can I hold him?"

Kushina smiled. "Sure. Here, make sure you support the head- oh, you've got it. You have experience with babies, Firebird?"

 _That's_ an understatement if he's ever heard one. "You could say that." Ever so carefully she shifted the little bundle in her arms, prodding at his tiny fist with her finger, her smile widening even more when he latched on. "He's so adorable, so tiny. Hello there little guy, I'm your Shuurei-oba-san. It's so nice to meet you." Naruto gurgled happily at her, nuzzling his face into the crook of her arm with a content sigh.

"He likes you." Kushina cooed softly, hovering at her shoulder. Then she yawned, rubbing at her eyes tiredly.

"Hey, you should get some sleep. Let me watch over Naruto."

"Really? Are you sure you know what you're doing? Just knowing how to hold a baby doesn't mean you know how to take care of one."

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing." She shuddered lightly. "I've had _plenty_ of practice."

Too tired to argue or interrogate, she simply nodded and staggered up the stairs, leaning heavily on the railing.

Shuurei stared after her with a perturbed expression. "She didn't say where we could sleep. Oh well. You should get to bed too, Tenzo. You can take the couch, I've got some camping blankets sealed away that should do the trick."

"Aw, but I'm not tired." he protested, but the yawn that followed and the gritty feeling in his eyes that caused him to rub at them betrayed him.

She quirked an eyebrow. "Want to run that by me again?"

"Fine." he grumbled, settling himself down into the blankets. A second later Shuurei pulled up a chair next to him, shifted the slumbering baby so that she had an arm free, and started running her fingers through his hair as she did every time he had trouble sleeping or woke up from a nightmare. The slight pull on his scalp was soothing, and just like every other time he was out like a light in minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right! So, that's out of the way. A pretty decent job if I do say so myself, though not much really happens except that Shuurei reveals some of what she's been doing and warns Hokage about Danzo. Not the most EXCITING chapter, but it needed to happen. I just couldn't move past it. Trust me, a lot more should be revealed next chapter.
> 
> Hope you liked it!


	8. The Violent Cause: A History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, it's up! I'm so, SO happy right now! It's finally done! You have no idea how much time I spent on this! It might just be my longest chapter yet. It also marks the end of the Tenzo arc- for now, at least. Next chapter should be back to Obito- if everything goes according to plan.
> 
> Also, this is yet another chapter that I posted without my usual thousands of re-reads and editing. I didn't even put it through my Beta, because she was too busy doing responsible things like 'school'. Bah. I really am horrible. Oh well. Anyway, be sure to point out any grammatical mistakes I make, or any points you're confused about, and I'll be sure to go fix them. Thank you.

The next morning he woke up to Naruto screaming, a rather rude awakening from a nice dream he was having about leaping through trees at high speed. He opened his eyes and winced at the brightness, sitting up in his makeshift bed and blinking groggily at his surroundings, momentarily confused at not finding himself in his room.

"Kaa-san?" he asked, waking up enough to notice her making something in the kitchen, gently bouncing a squalling Naruto in her arms.

She turned from the food- pancakes he smelled, and grinned eagerly. They were his favorite breakfast food- and smiled at him, stifling a yawn. "Good morning, my little sapling. Did you sleep well?"

"Um, yeah. Do you need help?" he offered, watching her awkwardly attempt to maneuver the kitchen with an uncooperative baby in her arms. Shuurei's been teaching him how to cook, both traditional foods and some of her special dishes from the other world, which was certainly an experience. He loved spending time with her, and loved watching the expressions on peoples' faces when they first tried his food.

"Yes, do you think you could take Naruto for a moment? I have to watch the stove and that's hard to do while carrying a baby."

"Sure." he agreed easily, long since accustomed to taking care of infants from when he helped Konan, Nagato, Yahiko, and Shuurei raise the Uzushio orphans. He'd been determined to earn his keep and, at the time, insecure in his place in their growing family, so he'd done anything he could to help out around the Warren. Getting to his feet, he padded his way into the kitchen and carefully took the squirming Naruto from her, being careful to support his head.

The minute he was in Tenzo's arms, the screams abruptly stopped. Naruto stared up at him for a few seconds, huffing and whimpering, and then stopped all together, shifting a little to make himself more comfortable in his arms before smooshing his face into Tenzo's chest. Tenzo stared down in awe at the tiny body in his arms, never quite having gotten over the wonder at holding such a fragile life in his hands. _'Was I ever that tiny?'_ he wondered.

Shuurei stared at them in surprise, then smiled happily. "Well, will you look at that. If he likes me, then he seems to _adore_ you, Tenzo. I've been trying to settle him for twenty minutes now but the second he's in your arms he quiets down."

"Really?" his face lit up, looking down fondly at the bundle in his arms. "He really likes me?'

"He certainly does." she affirmed just as Naruto cooed delightedly up at a slightly dazed Tenzo, who waved his fingers in front of Naruto's face for him to grab. He managed to catch one of them and promptly shoved one of the fingers in his mouth to suck on happily. It was to Tenzo's credit that he didn't so much as flinch, much less make a disgusted face at the wet sensation or try to pull his fingers away like most other people would. He genuinely seemed not to care, speaking in a low, soothing voice to the baby blonde as he rocked slightly back and forth.

Fifteen minutes later breakfast was almost done and Kushina came ambling clumsily down the stairs, yawning hugely and rubbing at the corners of her eyes at get rid of the crusties. "M'r'nin'," she mumbled, " 'ats f'r b'eckf'st?"

"Morning, Dragon-chan. I'm making pancakes." Shuurei answered, flipping one over with her spatula.

Kushina jolted awake at that, eyes lighting up in anticipation. "Pancakes?"

"Yep, your favorite. Do you mind setting the table? I'm still not sure where all the dishes are quite yet."

Kushina complied, reaching up to open an overhead cupboard and taking out a stack of plates. "Oh man, it's been so long since I've had pancakes, I can't tell you how much I've missed 'em, dattebane! I so need you to give me the recipe, I couldn't find it anywhere!"

"Sure thing." She took a moment to look Kushina over, obviously concerned. "How are you feeling now? Better?"

Kushina smiled back gratefully, with an expression on her face like she still couldn't believe Shuurei was actually here. "Better than I have in a month. Thank you so much for looking after him for me. I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks, and I know he's a restless sleeper."

"It was no problem. I'm so happy to be able to get to know my little cousin. He's _lethally_ adorable, you know."

"I know!" Kushina squealed. Tenzo winced at the high pitch. "And the little whiskers are just so _cute!_ Sometimes I almost can't take it!"

"You got that right." She flipped a pancake onto a plate and poked at the bacon with a spatula. "He seems to really like Tenzo-kun. He was in the middle of a temper tantrum but the second Tenzo got ahold of him he stopped immediately, when I'd been trying to calm him down for twenty minutes."

 _"Really?!"_ Kushina asked, disbelieving, almost dropping a plate she'd been about to set on the table. "But it's impossible to calm him down when he gets going like that! It's a miracle!"

"He can't be that bad." Tenzo objected, looking down at the giggling baby in his arms. "Do you want to take him?" he asked, holding him out to Kushina.

"Sure." She went to take the baby from him, but the moment he left Tenzo's arms Naruto started to cry again, wailing loudly. "Shoosh, shoosh. Calm down Naruto-kun, kaa-san's here. It's alright." She struggled to get Naruto to stop crying for ten minutes before admitting defeat. "Here Tenzo, you try taking him again, see if that gets him to stop."

Sure enough, the moment he was back in Tenzo's arms he was one happy little baby. Kushina just stared at him in disbelief before literally falling to her knees and clasping her hands out in front of her as if she were praying. "It's a miracle! Can I keep him, Shuurei-san? Can he live with us? Please? For my sanity? Obviously he is a gift from kami-sama, an answer to my prayers! Naruto never behaves this well for _anyone!"_

"That would be fantastic, Kushi-chan! I was actually going to ask if he could stay with you while he goes to the Academy, anyway. I can't join the village quite yet, so I was at a loss as to where he could stay while I'm gone."

"Perfect then!" Kushina grinned exuberantly. "He'll be a blessing to have, for the babysitting alone!"

"Yes, he's wonderful with children and such a help around the house. I've been teaching him how to cook, too, and he's been doing really well. Very polite as well. I'm sure he'll be on his best behavior, right Tenzo-kun?"

"Hai, Kaa-san!" he hastily replied at the stern warning clearly written on her face.

"Do you have enough room, though?"

Kushina waved off the concern. "Sure, I have plenty of room. We… we were planning on having a big family so Minato bought a us a big house." her smile faltered a bit at that, but she pushed the worry away. "Even with Kakashi living here, we have plenty of guest rooms."

"Kakashi?" Shuurei asked, feigning ignorance. "Who's he?"

"Oh, he's one of… one of Minato's old genin team, Rin's teammate. He's had a rough time of it and… and Minato was worried enough to convince him to move in with us so we could keep an eye on him. He's got a fairly hefty pole jammed up his butt, but he's still a good kid. He's out on a mission right now- has been almost non-stop since… since they lost their other teammate, Obito- but he's due back tomorrow."

"Oh?" Shuurei asked, sounding concerned. "Is he okay? If he's lost both a teammate _and_ his sensei, he can't be doing that well."

Kushina sighed heavily, sinking into a chair as Shuurei set the pancakes on the table. "No, he's not. He's not doing well at _all._ He wasn't even before all this happened, and now…" she trailed off, viciously stabbing a stack of pancakes with her fork and plopping them on her plate. "Well, he had a bit of a wake-up call when Rin got herself kidnapped and almost died, and he's been doing a bit better than before that, more willing to open up, but…. But he joined Anbu and he's still taking the riskiest missions he can at the first opportunity. I can't exactly say anything, either, because the village needs all the able-bodied shinobi it can get right now to fill the mission quota. He's seriously depressed and it worries me."

"Has he been going to see the Yamanakas?" Shuurei asked, now very, very worried.

"Yeah. Well, not yet but he _will._ Rin pestered him into making an appointment, but I don't think he'll actually keep it unless someone else goes there with him to make sure he doesn't skip out."

Shuurei frowned grimly, eyes shadowed. "This life isn't kind to us, especially not to the children. It's so horrible that something like this is allowed to happen. Children just can't stay innocent anymore."

"Hopefully they will now that the war is over. Peace times are a lot less stressful and demanding. They won't be pushing the kids to graduate from the Academy as quickly as they can like they did with my team and Rin's."

"Indeed." Shuurei murmured sadly, then changed the subject. "Are you sure Tenzo can stay here, though? You're already swamped with taking care of one child, can you handle another? Can you afford to? Kids are expensive, even kids as industrious and independent as Tenzo, and especially kids going to the Academy."

"I-" she hesitated, biting her lip as she thought it over, doing the math in her head. "I'll manage." she finally replied.

"Kushina-"

"You really think I'm going to let any bit of my family slip away? He's your son, Firebird, I'd never just leave him to fend for himself on his own in some crappy genin apartment, even if things are a little tight around here for a while." Seeing Shuurei open her mouth to say something she scowled and cut her off. "No, I will not reconsider. I've made up my mind."

Shuurei scowled irritably. "I was _going_ to say that I can help out financially, at least. I've started up a few businesses that have really taken off and actually, I'm kind of rolling in dough right now. You know those new restaurants serving pizza that have been really popular lately?"

Kushina's eye bulged, her mouth flopping open and shut like a fish on dry land. "That was _you?!_ _You_ invented _pizza?!_ Oh kami-sama, that stuff is as good as _ramen!"_ Tenzo, stunned, absently craned his neck to look out the window, scanning the skies for flying pigs. He never thought he'd hear an Uzumaki say that.

Shuurei shrugged nonchalantly, her mouth twitching into a slightly smug little smirk. "Well, you know I've always been good in the kitchen. It's really taken off, even spreading to some of the other villages, so I have plenty of cash to help support you 'til you get back on your feet."

Kushina's mouth slammed closed with an audible click, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I don't need charity, Firebird."

Shuurei rolled her eyes dramatically with an annoyed frown. "It's not charity, baka. It's me making sure my son and my family is provided for. Besides, I've filtered most of the money into the Uzumaki clan trust, and _you're_ the de facto head. By all rights, legally the money belongs to you."

"But- wait, what?! _I'm_ the clan head?! But- but you're older than me! And you've been the one bringing the clan back together!"

"Yeah, but _you're_ the last remaining member of the Main Branch, and therefore in the immediate line of succession. Besides, I don't _want_ to be clan head. I've got way too much stuff to do, to do my duties properly. Plus, it's all just way too troublesome."

"But-!"

"No buts!" Shuurei interrupted harshly. "I know you don't like it Kushina, but as both a clan leader and a mother you shouldn't let your pride get in the way of taking care of your precious people. Don't fall into the trap of becoming arrogantly prideful like other clans have. This is me, contributing to my clan, making sure _my_ family is taken care of. Accept it. If you were in my position, you'd do the same."

"I- yeah. Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry." she all but whispered. "Thank you."

Shuurei just grinned at her. "No problem. I'll go to the bank later and make sure you can access the money, and that the accounts are all in your name. The clan fund has left us both with quite a bit of money even before I started adding to it, so we're quite well-off, which is good because when I bring the rest of the clan here we'll need it."

Argument finished, they concentrated on eating- Kushina making ecstatic noises every once in a while at the deliciousness of the food- and when they were done Shuurei turned to Kushina and asked, "Dragon-chan, is there a place for Tenzo-kun to train? Since he's going to join the Academy soon, it's best if he brush up on his aim a bit, especially if we want him to be placed with his age group."

Kushina's brow furrowed and she blinked, confused. "Placed? Won't he be entering the Academy with all the rest, taking the upcoming entrance exams? I assume that's why you came here _now."_

Shuurei shook her head. "No, of course not! That'd put him in a class with kids at least two years younger, and he'd be so out of place there. I mean, I know that kids _do_ sometimes enter the Academy late, but that doesn't happen often and I highly doubt there'll be anyone his own age there. The whole reason we're doing this in the first place is so Tenzo can make some friends his own age and integrate himself properly with Konoha. At his level, he's already chunin material, he doesn't even need to go to the Academy at all."

"Wait, _really?_ But he's only, what, ten years old?"

"Nine," Shuurei corrected, "but he's going to be ten very soon. I told you, he's a smart kid. A prodigy. He had genius intelligence from the beginning, which is probably why Orochimaru sought him out. It was only in the physical department where he was in any way inferior to a Kakashi of this age, and the Mokuton covers for that."

"But Kaa-san," Tenzo protested, "Why do I have to practice if I'm already past Academy level? I wanted to spend some more time with you, since you're going to be leaving soon."

Shuurei mussed his hair impishly as she walked past him, taking the breakfast dishes to the sink. "Because, sapling, while you might have above average knowledge and chakra control, you're still physically a kid, and you need to build up strength which means constantly training. You might have the muscle memory necessary for your taijutsu, but you don't have the strength or speed. They were retarded somewhat by that bastard's experiments, which took a toll on your body. Even four years of good food, proper medical treatment, and exercise hasn't erased that completely."

Tenzo was alarmed. His health was compromised? But he didn't feel weak at all, and she'd never mentioned this before! "B-but I can keep up with the other kids!" If he could keep up with a stampede of Uzumaki children in taijutsu practice, surely there can't be anything wrong!

"Yeah, and they're four years younger than you." She caught the slightly panicky look on his face and reassured him. "Don't worry, it isn't all that bad right now. Physically, you're just as healthy and fit as an average boy your age, but that's on civilian terms. As you are right now, you're not on the same level as kids in your age group who've been training for the past three years. It'll be hard, but if you put the work in it shouldn't take that long to catch up. So, Dragon-chan, anywhere for him to train?" She asked, addressing Kushina who was attempting to extract her hair from Naruto's fist.

She glanced up at them distractedly at the sound of her name. "Huh? Oh, right. Well, my back yard's pretty big and I set it up for basic training purposes so I could bring myself back up to snuff. What with giving birth and dealing with the aftermath of the Kyuubi extraction, I have a lot of work to do, and starting from the basics is the safest way to do it." She managed to wrest the strands away from Naruto's meaty little fist, only for his other hand to latch onto another fistful of scarlet.

"Ah, good. You _do_ have kunai on you, don't you Tenzo-kun?" she asked in a sickly sweet voice edged with a subtle threat that said he better have weapons on him.

"Of _course,_ Kaa-san!" he scoffed. That was the first thing she drilled into all of their heads: always have a weapon- preferably multiple weapons- on you and in reach at all times. He shuddered to remember what they all went through before _that_ particular lesson stuck. "But… I wanted to spend some time with you before you had to leave." He hated to hear that whine in his voice that made him sound like an annoying brat.

Shuurei dried her hands after finishing the dishes, then grabbed her satchel from the living room table and went for her shoes. "You might as well go train, I have to speak to Hokage-sama anyway, then head over to the bank. It'll take a while, so you have a couple hours to train."

"Okay." he grumbled, then froze when Shuurei went over to him and planted a kiss on his forehead. She'd never done that before.

"You practice hard, sapling. I'll be back before you know it."

 

Eerie black eyes stared at Kakashi with an unsettling intensity. Kakashi, unnerved but too stubborn to show it, stared back impassively, though Tenzo could tell by the slight narrowing of his visible eye that something about him bothered Kakashi. Strange, just like that gate guard from earlier…

So this is Kakashi, the guy Obito-nii rambled on and on about whenever he spoke of Konoha. This is the one who has Obito's eye under his hitai-ate. He _does_ seem rather impressive- despite the fact that Obito _knows_ he's Anbu everything about his posture made him want to dismiss him- but somehow Tenzo was just a little disappointed. This is a broken man- no, not man. This is a child doing everything he can not to cry.

Then again, he _did_ lose Obito-nii. He guesses he can understand that, a little. Obito-nii is the best.

Finally Kakashi relented, and though Tenzo kept the victorious smirk off his face inside he was laughing his ass off at the jounin _Anbu_ member who was defeated by a ten year old. Is this how Kabuto feels, he wonders? Because if so, then it's no wonder he antagonizes Obito all the time.

 _"This_ is your _relative?"_ he drawls, not buying it. Tenzo bristles at the condescension in his voice.

"He's the _adopted_ son of a relative of mine." Kushina answers, a warning in her voice that he better be nice or she'd pound him into the dirt. "Tenzo-kun wants to be a shinobi, and my aunt isn't in a position to help him with that, so he's staying with me for now."

Kakashi huffs in annoyance. "Like we need _another_ snot-nosed brat running around the house." he grumbled. "I'm not babysitting him, too."

Oh, Tenzo is going to _enjoy_ completing the _'_ _special mission_ ' both Obito-nii and Kaa-san entrusted to him when he said his final goodbyes.

Pranking the hell out of Kakashi Hatake.

Kaa-san even gave him a special present to help him do it. Tenzo stroked the metal framing his face, a wave of homesickness sweeping over him already. Things are going to be different now. He doesn't have Kaa-san watching over him all the time now, or Obito-nii to help him through the nightmares and cheer him up when he's feeling down with his failed pranks. He doesn't have a swarm of redheaded children to play with when he feels lonely, and he's _already_ wondering if Genta will be able to figure out math without him, or if Kinomi still needs help with that kata. Will they miss his bedtime stories? Konan-san does her best, but they always say they like his stories better, because he does the voices…

Tenzo rubbed at his eyes furiously, just barely managing to choke back a sob, embarrassed to be crying in front of _strangers._ Yes, she's Kaa-san's niece, and yes, he's Obito-nii's friend, but he doesn't know them. He doesn't know anyone in this place.

"Kakashi!" Kushina berates Kakashi from her position behind Kabuto. She puts a hand on his head and pulls him towards her protectively. "You made him cry!"

Kakashi shuffled in place uncomfortably under Kushina's heated glare, then croaked, "I- uh- sorry, kid." he murmured guiltily, the implacable, impervious front he put up before completely shredded in the face of Kushina's wrath. He shifted in place a little, then reached into his weapons holster to pull out a box.

Tenzo blinked when Kakashi offered him a stick of dango, then glanced back up at his face and noticed the way his eyebrows were drawn together slightly, his jaw clenched. Obito-nii always said he was a tough bastard to read and he never seemed to react to anything, but either Obito is just really horrible at reading body language (possible, because as much as he loves Obito-nii, he's a little… dense, sometimes) or Kakashi's changed in the time since Obito 'died'. He's not a total asshole like the stories Nii-san told him, just… awkward. Kabuto was like that, sometimes.

So he accepted the dango, smiled up at him a little and made a split-second decision. "Thanks… Kashi-nii."

This time Tenzo does allow himself to grin at Kakashi's spastic twitching at the term of endearment. Behind him, Kushina is doubled over laughing. Oh yes, messing with Kakashi is going to be _fun._

 

Tenzo has a nightmare that night. It certainly wasn't the first- especially since he moved to Konoha two weeks ago- but this time it was… different than usual.

Normally his nightmares are always about his time in Orochimaru's lab. Needles injecting drugs into his system, knives carving open his flesh, watching the others come back bleeding and broken, or not at all. Silent and not so silent screams as the others drowned sucking down air and beat against the glass, being helpless to do anything to save them, the lights going out one by one, leaving him alone and dying in the darkness…. The most frequent and unnerving of them all is the one where his family- Shuurei, Obito, Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, and the Uzumaki kids- are the ones suffocating, where they come back with scars and empty eyes and the tell-tale Y-incision of a live autopsy, where he watches helplessly as they die slow, painful deaths begging him to save them.

As horrific as those dreams are, this one inspires an entirely different kind of terror. In this one Kaa-san leaves him and never comes back. In this one, she says that her job is done now and he's never going to see him again because she did her part already. That caring for him was just a job, just something she did out of pity. She doesn't really love him. She has other kids to raise that can easily take his place.

"You're nothing special. You're just a huge disappointment. I bet Kabuto will be a better ninja than you, or Kasumi. You were just a waste of my time. They actually deserve my love, while you? You're just a broken, useless _freak."_

He wakes up gasping, heart racing, and immediately hugs his pillow tight and cries into it, his whole body shaking from the force of his sobs. Is it true? Does Kaa-san not love him anymore? If she did, then why did she send him away? He wasn't as smart as Kabuto, wasn't a taijutsu genius like Kasumi, and he couldn't learn seals the way all the rest of the kids could. They were so much better than him, why did she need a useless, damaged kid like him hanging around anyway?

Gradually he becomes aware that someone else is there, but he couldn't bring himself to be embarrassed or even care. There's a hand on his back rubbing in slow, gentle circles and a soft feminine voice pitched low and coaxing. Desperate for comfort, he lets go of the pillow and latches onto her, burying his face into her shoulder. Breathing in, he smells freshly baked bread, ink, something almost mossy, and the pervasive scent of an ocean breeze. It's different and new, but similar enough to Shuurei that his body relaxes subconsciously, allowing him to gradually calm down.

No longer shaking, his sobs reduced to exhausted sniffles, he can finally hear what the woman- Kushina- is saying. "… and when I find that snake fucker I'm going to rip his balls off and leave his limbless body in the Forest of Death! Then I'll take the bloody scraps and give his bones to the Inuzuka dogs to gnaw on and-"

"K-Kushina-san?" he croaks, mortified and slightly scared. It stands to reason, he supposes, that a fully mature Uzumaki would be far more terrifying than Kasumi, a four year old that despite her age manages to scare the living daylights out of him sometimes.

Immediately the anger drains right out of her. "Oh, hey Tenzo-kun, you feeling better now?" She says it just like Shuurei does- not condescending or pitying, almost causal even, but with an edge of something maternal and protective that makes him feel safe.

"I-I'm sorry." he sputters, trying to pull away, but she wasn't having any of that and clutched at him even tighter.

She scoffs at him like the whole notion of an apology is ridiculous. Which it probably is to her, judging by the usual Uzumaki response to such things. "There's nothing to be sorry for, baka. Everyone has their bad days, you know. Ninja especially. I've had my fair share of nightmares myself, and I don’t see them stopping anytime soon. With everything you went through, you of all people have the right to be messed up about it."

"It wasn't- it wasn't about… _that time,_ though." he whispered quietly, the image of Shuurei's disdainful, sneering face and her back as she walked away playing over and over in his mind. Useless, disappointment, freak. Intellectually, he knew it was ridiculous and Kaa-san would never do or say anything like that, but…

"You miss her." Kushina supplied, her voice barely audible, a volume Tenzo wouldn't have thought her capable of earlier that day.

"Why did she have to go? Does… does she really love me?" He hated how needy he sounded, how utterly pathetic. She has to love him, she _has_ to! Otherwise, why would she be doing so much for him?

Kushina was quiet for a moment, then shifted him around so he could see her face by the dim moonlight shining through the nearby window. "Shuurei… for as long as I've known her, Shuurei's always been sad. Always quiet and desperate and lonely. She got better at hiding it when she got older, but it never really went away, no matter how close I got or how hard I tried to make her smile. But Tenzo, when I saw her with you the other day, that's the happiest I've ever seen her. It's not easy to get her to open up, but when she does, she will do anything to protect the ones she loves. Anything. And she most definitely loves you to pieces. If she brought you here, it's because this is the safest place for you to be. She _does_ love you and she would _never_ abandon you, understand?"

Yeah, he knows that. He _does,_ it just… felt a lot better to hear someone else say it, too.

Kushina smiled abruptly, the serious atmosphere shattering under the force of her smile. "I'm kind of jealous, dattebane. I couldn't help her nearly as much as you have." Ruffling his hair affectionately (what was it with women and messing with his hair? Shuurei was practically obsessed with it and insisted he keep it long) she sat up and motioned for him to do the same. "Come on, let's go get some hot chocolate.  I don't think you're going to get back to sleep any time soon and nothing's better for that than hot chocolate."

He rubbed at his eyes with the sleeves of his pajamas and nodded, untangling himself from the blanket and wincing when his feet met the cold hardwood floor. He padded after her into the kitchen, and was surprised to find Kakashi already there, sitting at the counter with his own steaming cup of hot chocolate. "Kashi-nii?" he glanced at the clock and found it to be only three o'clock in the morning, a ridiculous time to be up even for early morning training.

Kakashi flinched, his head jerking up a little like he'd been nodding off a moment ago, and turned to glare at him in irritation. There were dark bags under his sole visible eye, he noticed, and his skin was slightly paler than he had been earlier that day.

"Up again, Kakashi? That's not good. What was it this time- Obito, Rin, or Minato?"

He glanced at Kushina then back at Tenzo, hesitant, but reluctantly answered. "Obito." Kushina seemed pleasantly surprised that he answered.

One side of her mouth pulled down, eyes wistful. "It is getting around to that time of year, huh. I still can't believe he's been gone a year. I… I miss the little brat. Still, you should take something, Kashi-kun. You can't keep losing sleep like this. Eventually it's going to start affecting your missions." Unsaid was that he might not make it back at all.

"I'm fine." Kakashi insisted almost angrily, something that didn't sit too well with Tenzo.

"No, you're not." he interjected sternly. Kakashi drew back in surprise and scowled thunderously.

"And what do _you_ know?" Kakashi sneered condescendingly.

Tenzo scoffed. "Anyone with _eyes_ can see that! And I know a lot about things like this. You know, carrying on about things you can't fix and lashing out at the people you have left isn't going to bring them back!"

Kakashi went completely still. "Shut up." he hissed, his voice freezing over. "You don't know _anything!"_

"Kakashi!" Kushina snapped. "Calm down. Tenzo-kun more than anyone knows how you feel right now."

Kakashi leveled her a betrayed glare and promptly turned on his heel and flew out the window. Kushina, rubbing at her own eyes that were similarly dark rimmed, slumped into a chair, limbs flopping out comically. "Don't be too offended, Tenzo-kun. He's not actually that bad a guy. Rin and I have been working on him and usually he's a lot better, but with Obito's anniversary coming up… well, none of us are at our best."

"Yeah, I can see that." he said, measuring the color in her face. "What are you doing up, anyway?"

She laughed once without humor. "The same reason the two of you were up. Looks like everyone in this house is an insomniac." As if on cue, Naruto took that exact moment to alert them to the fact that he was displeased. "Looks like I jinxed myself." Kushina groaned, moving to stand back up again.

"No, don't bother." Tenzo motioned for her to stay sitting. "I've got it."

She shot him a grateful smile. "Thanks."

Once again Naruto stopped crying the minute Tenzo had him settled in his arms, his screams dulling to a lower whimper of displeasure. He wasn't wet or smelly, so Tenzo brought him back to the kitchen and started rummaging in the cupboard he saw Kushina pull the formula out of before and started on making a bottle as he bounced gently to pacify the fussing baby.

"Y'know, you're pretty good at that for a nine year old, dattebane." Kushina commented idly as Tenzo not only worked to make a bottle but started preparations for breakfast.

He shrugged. "Most of the survivors Kaa-san managed to save from Uzushio during the attack were babies at the time since she concentrated on children before anybody else, and I helped out a lot. You think Naruto is bad? Try being in a room of twenty something hungry Uzumaki babies." he shuddered. "I still have nightmares about that. The Shadow Clone jutsu is truly a godsend." Bottle done and wanting to get a move on with breakfast since late nights- or _extremely_ early mornings- and sleep deprivation made him ravenous, he passed a content Naruto sucking down his bottle to Kushina and turned back to the stove.

"…Twenty?" Kushina squeaked, eyes wide as she adjusted her hold on the baby. "There's really that many? But wait, how is that possible? She's been travelling for years now, no way can she drag along a small army of babies with her! Who's taking care of them while she's gone?"

Tenzo cringed, not having meant to give out that information. They were in a village after all, Konoha- home to Danzo the patriotic traitor. There's no telling who's listening. That Root member at the meeting with the Hokage saw enough to be suspicious _at least_ of her fuinjutsu skills, and if they escaped capture even after Kaa-san sold him out…. He could very well have them under watch already. The thought fed his mounting paranoia, the result of being surrounded by unknowns with the knowledge that several of them would be after him not only for the Mokuton, but even just for the information he has on Shuurei and her operations.

So he merely smiled mysteriously in the way that Obito-nii frequently informs him is infuriating and says, "Kaa-san is a talented person. She has her ways."

Kushina grumbled but resigned with a huff and a curious glance into the bowl at the mixture he was expertly beating. "What are you making?"

Tenzo put a hand to his chest in mock surprise. "What, you don't recognize your favorite breakfast food? And after you pestered Kaa-san so much for the recipe…"

"Pancakes?" she exclaimed, jostling Naruto briefly for a moment who protested for a moment before Kushina adjusted her hold on him again and he went back to guzzling down the bottle. "You know how to make pancakes, have been here for _two weeks,_ and didn't even _tell_ me?!"

"Ah, sorry." he murmured, hand migrating to the back of his neck. "I guess I forgot?" He expertly flipped a pancake over, enjoying the sizzling sound of the batter cooking. The bacon was done, so he turned off that burner and drained the grease into a cup to be taken care of later so it wouldn't clog the drain when it solidifies and tipped the crispy bacon onto a paper towel covered plate. Kushina reached out to sneak a slice, but Tenzo batted her hand away with a tut. "Wait until _everything_ is ready, Kushina-san."

He finished cooking right as the sun came up, brilliant colors painting the sky visible outside the kitchen window, and they sat down to eat contentedly as they watched the sunrise. It was a calm, peaceful moment where everything was perfect and it was… cathartic to Tenzo, soothing over the lingering negative feelings he had from his nightmare. He finished first, and since Kushina was having trouble eating while holding Naruto he took him from her. Naruto, of course, immediately fisted his hands in Tenzo's hair with a happy gurgle and he rolled his eyes- lamenting over the fact that apparently, his hair would always be a target for the rest of his life- but smiled anyway, wiggling a finger in Naruto's face to get him to grab that instead.

Kushina, having just finished stuffing her face, watched them with no small amount of fondness. "You really do like kids, don't you?"

"Yeah, I do." he answered, smiling down at Naruto as he squealed under Tenzo's tickling fingers.

Kushina groaned. "Why does he have to be so perfect?" she asked, eyes turned skywards. "It's just not fair that he's so perfect! He cooks and he's great with kids and he's polite! Why can't he be _my_ kid?"

Tenzo blushed, turning around to set Naruto down in his playpen to hide his face. "Ah, I'm flattered, Kushina-san, but I'm not perfect."

"You make _pancakes._ If you're not perfect, then you're pretty damn- ahem, _darn_ close."

"Ah, well, Kaa-san taught me how to cook. I enjoy it, especially since it was something we could do together. She has a lot of odd dishes really, but they're all incredible. She's a very good cook. Konan-chan… not so much. She _tried,_ and she was certainly competent at following directions in a recipe, but when she tried to get _creative…."_ He winced, remembering when she'd had Yahiko try one of her experiments. They hadn't heard from him the rest of the day, after he'd rushed off to the bathroom and Konan went and had to drag him back to their bedroom two hours later to sleep it off. It must've really been bad, too, because Yahiko was famous for his… unique tastes. He once ate a batch of charcoal briquette cookies, Tenzo's first attempt at baking. "It really bugs her, too. Especially seeing how good me and Nagato are at it. She has this strange fixation on the 'ideal kunoichi', probably because where she grew up they couldn't waste resources on being elegant and pretty, and with being surrounded by men most of the time- since the majority of shinobi in that country are male because of their previous leader's extreme misogynistic tendencies- she started, and I quote, 'losing touch with her femininity'."

Plopping the breakfast dishes into the already prepared sink of soapy water, she started washing. "That poor girl. But…Konan? Yahiko? Nagato? Who are they?"

Oops. Well, he doesn't think it'd hurt to tell her a _little_ about his three other older siblings, if he made sure to be vague. "Oh, they're some people Kaa-san ran across on her travels. She saved their lives, so they feel like they owe her a debt and they watch over the kids for her when she can't be there. They're really great, though Yahiko is a little… well, odd. Nagato's pretty quiet most of the time and very polite when he does talk, which can get a little intimidating. It's incredibly hard to get him to show emotion, believe me, I've tried. Konan is really great, really nice and patient most of the time, but she can get _real_ scary sometimes, especially when Yahiko slips up and swears around us kids. She and Yahiko are totally in love, it's kinda gross sometimes how gushy they can get." He paused, considering, and then added on, "If you could not mention those names like, _anywhere,_ that'd be great. You see, the man Kaa-san saved them from thinks they're dead, and if they find out they aren't… he'll come after them again. He's a very powerful man, and if he finds out it wouldn't be just them he'd go after."

Kushina nodded. "I understand."

"I mean it! Not _anyone!"_

"Okay, okay already! Geesh." she exclaimed, almost insulted. "Like I'd put my Firebird at risk like that."

Tenzo bit his lip. "Sorry. It's just… they're really important to me, you know? My Anikis and Aneki." Plus, just a chance stray word to Jiraiya and he'd be demanding to see them, which is not a good idea if they want to keep the Warren a secret. "Hey, why do you call Kaa-san Firebird anyway?"

"Huh?" Pulling the plug on the dishwater, Kushina turned towards him as she wiped off her pruny hands. "Oh, that. Because of her Summons, of course." He stared at her blankly. "What, have you never met her boss summons, Gaulrung?"

But the boss Summons for the rabbits is Yukanna… wait, no, he'd forgotten but she _does_ have another Summoning Contract, doesn't she? He's only seen it once because he's been in the Summons realm for most of these past six years, but he'd seen her summon a bird once, to send a message. "No, I haven't."

Kushina smirked and then started giggling, the sort of giggle one giggles when one is anticipating some entertaining trouble on the horizon for someone else. It's astonishing and vaguely unsettling how similar to Kasumi she is. "Oh, Gaulrung's not gonna like that. Not at all."

Tenzo cocked his head to the side, curious. "What kind of name is Gaulrung, anyway?"

"You'll have to ask Firebird, she's the one who named him. The Avian Contract has been handed down in her family for generations, and they have this tradition. You see, every time a new summoner is born to her family, when they turn six years old they're brought to the Summons Realm and told to choose one egg amongst the latest clutch. The bird that is born from that egg will be the new king or queen of the birds. The summoner then names the hatchling, and Firebird decided to name her Phoenix King Gaulrung for some reason. This ceremony is a symbolic mark of the loyalty and trust between the Birds and the summoner, then the ceremony marks the summoner in turn with the golden cast to their eyes."

Tenzo's eyes widened. "So _that's_ why her eyes are so strange! I had no idea. She never told me any of this." He pouted a bit at that, dismayed at having missed such an important part of Kaa-san's life.

"Yep, that's why. The tradition apparently came from a time when their first summoner reverse summoned themselves to the Aviary. See, the Birds are a very proud species for the most part and thought that contracting themselves to humans was beneath them, and thus refused. The summoner was persistent however and ended up staying a number of days in the Summons Realm, during which he happened to come across a clutch of eggs as they hatched. Most of them did so safely, but as is sometimes the case in nature one of the eggs had an abnormally thick shell that the baby bird couldn't break through. The adult birds supervising the hatching marked it as being stillborn, but the summoner could sense the living chakra inside and knew that the fledgling just needed some help and dashed forwards to break the baby out.

"As a mark of the life debt that baby bird owed to the summoner, the other birds allowed him to name the fledgling- a very big deal to Avians- and a bond was formed between them that gave that first summoner the golden cast to his eyes. After that, the Phoenix King of the time grew tired of the summoner's presence and demanded he leave, refusing to enter into a contract, and it was many years before the summoner saw that fledgling again. By that time, the fledgling had grown to become the strongest of the Phoenixes and even the Phoenix King himself, but even with all the many years that had passed never had he forgotten the debt he owed to the human that saved his life, and so he consented to forming a contract with him that would not only give the summoner the ability to summon phoenixes, but also any species that falls under their domain as rulers of the Avians, a Royal Contract."

Tenzo hung onto her every word with rapt attention, eyes full of awe. To think, Kaa-san's family has such a history…. "I never knew that the Uzumaki had a summons animal, much less something as amazing as this!"

Kushina smiled, fondly amused at Tenzo's wide-eyed wonder at the story and insatiable curiosity. "Ah, but the Phoenixes _aren't_ the Uzumaki summons animal, they're the _Tsumeito_ summons animal. That's why their clan has that regenerative ability- because of the Phoenix's ability to rise from the ashes. It's present in all the members of their clan, though there's only ever one- maybe two- summoners at a time. The direct summoners, though, regenerate twice as fast as the average clan member. Some people in Uzushio speculated that the people with Shuurei's condition come about when the Tsumeito heir has the Uzumaki blood and inherits _their_ kekei genkai too, and because of the extra strength dose of Tsumeito paired with the dominant Uzumaki genes for our vitality kekei genkai the body simply regenerates new cells too quickly- the limit of the number of times a body is able to regenerate cells removed by the Uzumaki vitality. Personally, I think they're right, because four out of the five 'Immortals', as they call them (though that's a misnomer because they don't live _forever)_ were Tsumeito heirs. Shuurei's father was the Head of the Tsumeito clan, so she inherited the contract from him." Kushina smiled wistfully, eyes distant. "I still remembered how funny-looking he was with those tiny red feathers in his hair…"

"Feathers?!" Kaa-san has _feathers_ in her hair?!

"Yep, feathers. Tiny, fluffy downy feathers hidden in their hair. They're one of those traits the summoner gets from the contract. Shuurei's lucky that because she inherited the Uzumaki red coloring, they blend in with her hair and aren't noticeable. See, her parents' marriage was a political one designed to bring the two clans closer together when the political climate was a bit rocky almost thirty years ago. Her father was the leader of the Tsumeito and her mother the second daughter of the Uzumaki Main Branch. I'm descended from her mother's brother, the first born son and heir to the Uzumaki clan. She's my _aunt_ because while the Uzumaki heir- my grandmother- conceived my mother right away, her mother only got pregnant with Shuurei very late in life, almost at the end of her child-bearing years and a scant five years before I was born, the granddaughter of Shuurei's mom's older brother. Make sense?"

Tenzo blinked, thrown by the sudden delve into the Uzumaki clan genealogy. "Um, yeah, I think so. Huh." He was still processing Shuurei's apparently extensive clan history. "I never knew Summoning could have such a huge impact on both the summoned and the summoners. That they can make actual physical changes…"

"Yeah, a lot of summons do either in special circumstances or over time. Take the Inuzuka and the Aburame for example. Their clans' special traits come from summoning contracts to Beetles and Dogs respectively, and though they've lost the actual contract over time and can't actually summon their contracted animals from the Summons Realm, they still have that bond with them that gives them the traits they're famous for. That's the origin of the Inuzuka's ability to talk to dogs, and their ninken are descended from a summons animal that somewhere in the past decided to stay in our Realm. The Aburame insects are the same. They're not entirely physical, which is why they're able to live inside their host's body without causing organ failure from blocking an important artery or something. The kikaichu are entirely spiritual when inside their host's body. The… companions actually _have_ to bond with them, because they need the steady flow of chakra their partner provides to live. Think of it like this- to materialize a summons in this Realm normally, you need a steady flow of chakra, right?"

"Right."

"Well, even though they're born and raised in the human realm and have the blood of animals from our Realm in them, they still need that constant flow of chakra. Because they were born in _this_ Realm and have the blood of animals from here they have no connection to the Summons Realm, but they still need that stream of chakra. An Aburame colony without a host and an Inuzuka ninken without a partner will actually die without them."

Tenzo exploded into excited questions. "That… is _fascinating._ Wow! That's so _cool!_ How many times have bonds like this been formed? How do you even make a contract like that, is it always the result of some sort of life-debt or do the summons animals agree to it? What sort of benefits do they get from it? Are there any detriments to a bond like that?" This was so _interesting!_ He has so many questions! He wonders if there's been any research done on the subject. Are there any books about summons that talk about this?

"I don't know, sorry Tenzo-kun. Information like that is kept close to the vest so enemies of the clan can't find a way to get around their abilities. I _can_ tell you that the Uzumaki have something like that, though. Like the Tsumeito, we have a contract handed down from generation to generation, the Fox Summons." Tenzo abruptly choked on air. Kushina continued on, ignoring him. "See, that's why most of the clan has red hair, and also why little Naru-chan," she poked his cheek and he cooed happily at her, "has these whisker marks. Only the heir to the Uzumaki clan gets them as a symbol of their ability to contract with the Foxes, and since I'm the last of the Main Branch of the Uzumaki clan- Shuurei's disqualified because of her preexisting bond to the Phoenixes- that makes Naruto the heir. However, the clan wasn't expecting to be wiped out like it did when they sent me here to become a jinchuuriki, otherwise they'd never have sent a Main Branch member. Because of the bijuu that was sealed inside of me- the Kyuubi- that's now inside of Naruto, it's dangerous for either of us to form that contract because the Kyuubi's chakra would leak through that bond and corrupt and mutate the Foxes. Unfortunately, unless Naru-chan has at least two children when he grows up- one to become the next jinchuuriki, another to contract with the Foxes- the contract will be lost."

"What effects do you get from the contract, besides the red hair and whisker marks?"

"Well, like the Tsumeito it's the origin of our kekei genkai." A huge smirk graced her upturned lips. "Our legends say that when _our_ first summoner tried to make a contract, the Boss Fox made a bet with her that she couldn't beat her in a riddle contest. Foxes are naturally lucky and exceedingly clever, you see, and she thought she couldn't lose. When she did, the Boss Fox of the time was so impressed that in addition to forming a contract, she adopted the summoner into the clan and they became blood-sisters, which formed the bond that dyed the summoner's hair red, gave her the tell-tale whiskers, increased her physical energy, and apparently blessed us with luck. That's why we heal so quickly- because we have more physical energy than most people. Contrary to what the majority of shinobi believe, the hardest part about increasing your chakra capacity isn't the spiritual energy, but the physical energy. Spiritual energy is limitless and comes from the soul, you get it just by living. That's also why the Uzumaki have such massive chakra reserves, because our physical energy is just naturally higher than most people."

"A bet, huh? Makes sense for foxes. That really is too bad for Naru-chan, they sound like an awesome summons."

Kushina smiled and stood up, stretching, hands locked together overhead as her joints popped. "They really were. Ah well, I'll just have to make sure Naru-chan gives me plenty of grandkids when the time comes- which means a lot of work for me if he takes after his father in that department. Did you know I had to bribe Jiraiya into tying him up and dragging him there to get him to our first date? He's such a wuss, dattebane."

The thought of the Fourth Hokage so afraid to go on a date he had to be dragged there just about blew Tenzo's mind, and he promptly dissolved into gut-busting laughter. The Fourth Hokage, a wuss! Ha! The man who faced and took down an entire army by himself couldn't bring himself to ask a girl out!

"Yeah, and when he finally got there he ended up accidentally flipping himself over the counter into a huge pot of ramen and got stuck! Luckily it was cold since it was the new leek and daifuku flavor Teuchi was trying out that not even _I_ could stomach, otherwise he'd probably have given himself third degree burns in some… unfortunate places."

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! S-stop! Please! I can't breathe!" Tenzo gasped, his sides hurting.

Kushina grinned impishly, a wicked gleam in her eye. "And then there was that time on our second date when he ended up giving himself a concussion from walking into trees continuously for an hour. I wanted to stop and get him checked out at the hospital, but he just kept insisting he was fine and didn't want to ruin our date! I ended up having to knock him out when he started having trouble walking in a straight line and carry him to the hospital myself, princess style. Yoshino ended up seeing us on the way there and it was all over the village the next day. Needless to say, it was a _long_ time before we went to the park on a date again.That man is so _stubborn."_ she said it in such a way that 'stubborn' sounded like a synonym for 'stupid', but it was in good humor.

Continuing her stretching, she dropped down into a split, flexing the muscles in her side by reaching overhead with one arm for the opposite side. "Anyway, I'm glad you feel better now, Tenzo-kun. Nightmares really suck, it doesn't do you any good to dwell on them, dattebane."

"You told me all that to distract me from my nightmare?" he asked once he was able to breathe again.

"Best cure for depression is a distraction, I've always found." Pulling out of her last stretch, she said, "Hey, I've got some training to do, getting back in top condition and all. How about we spar?"

Suddenly, he was nervous. "Me, against a _jounin?"_ he squeaked then winced, embarrassed at the high pitch of his voice.

She scoffed. "Pshhh, don't worry, I won't hurt you. Too badly, anyway. I'm still recovering, so I'll only be able to go half-speed at most. Probably won't even use that much. So, you in or not?"

…He guessed it might be a good idea, to get used to jounin speeds and fighting against superior enemies. He was still nervous though. "I guess."

So he followed her through the patio door and into the back yard, moving Naruto's playpen so he was right next to the open door and they could hear him if he cried. Behind the house was a large, obviously well-used clearing that was actually about the size of a training ground. Though the grass for the entire clearing was cut short, there was a large circle of compacted earth that was obviously meant to serve as a taijutsu ring. Off to the side he could see some straw dummies hanging from trees, already punched full of holes.

"Alright," Kushina started, taking up the position closest to the house, "rules are: no blood or broken bones. If we have any major injuries we stop the fight immediately. Got it?" She shifted into an unrecognizable stance when he nodded, and he followed suit. "Whirlpool?" she remarked, surprised, then considered. "Huh, I guess that makes sense, what with your age and current size. Whirlpool is designed for physically inferior opponents, after all. Now, let's see how good you are!" And with a war cry she throws herself into the fray.

One second she's there, the next he's spinning around on reflex to catch an overhead blow from behind, countering with a leg sweep on automatic. She moves to deflect it, but it's just a feint and while she's distracted he springs upwards as fast as he can and slams his palm into her chin, making her lose her balance. While she's disoriented he slips in close and goes for a throw, but she's slightly bigger than Shuurei- the person he's used to sparring with- so it's harder than he expects. When he fumbles the throw she reverses it on him and the next minute he's flying through the air.

He catches the fall right, but the impact still jars his legs causing them to sting, but there's no time to recover because she sends a roundhouse kick at his head and he ducks, feeling her foot swipe through his hair his hair, missing him by millimeters. His foot slides backwards, intent on getting some room, but he wasn't expecting her to suddenly drop to the ground for a leg sweep from the opposite side and he crumples. He's not on the ground a second before he has to roll to the side to avoid her fist- which oh dear kami it left a _crater!_ This is her _holding back?!-_ and rather clumsily- he winces, thinking of what Shuurei would do to him if she saw that- staggers to his feet, leaping backwards to get some room and recuperate a bit.

She allows the pause, tense and still in a shuto stance, and this time it's him who takes the initiative. Dashing across the distance, he launches a simultaneous left straight punch and right reverse punch to the solar plexus, trying to take advantage of the human instinct to defend the face before all else. It seems like she knows that trick though, because she knocks his straight to the side and catches his reverse, spinning to the side in a simple three-step dodge to the side and bends his arms backwards in a perfectly executed hold, using it as leverage to force him to the ground, and plants her foot on his back to keep him there.

By this point he's gasping, hearing his heartbeat in his ears, and far too tired to muscle his way out of the hold- though he's pretty sure he couldn't even if he was at one hundred percent, because he sucks at grappling. So he concedes. "I-I give!" he manages to choke out after a moment and goes slack the moment she lets up on the pressure, dropping to the ground face-first, his head turned to the side so he wouldn't inhale any grass. "Damn," he says once he manages to catch his breath, "That was intense."

She plops herself down next to him. It irritates him a bit that she's not even breathing hard, even though he knows full well she _shouldn't_ be, as a jounin."You're not so bad yourself. Hey, did I see some Tide style in there?"

He rolled onto his back so he could look her in the face. "Yeah, Kaa-san said that I have the right build for more hard-hitting attacks when I grow and develop some more muscle, so she started me in on Tide. Still not very good at it though."

She nodded. "Yeah, I could see that. The sudden change certainly caught me off guard, but your stances were shaky and once I got used to it, it was easy to take advantage of. You need to work on that, but the transition itself was flawless. If you straighten that out, it'd give you a great advantage in battle. Not many people can suddenly change styles like that. Combine them, yes. Completely change from one to another? No."

With a groan he pulls himself up to a sitting position, already feeling the first pangs of soreness, his limbs weak as a wet noodle. "What was that style you used? I didn't recognize it."

She gave a short laugh. "You wouldn't. It's a mishmash of various styles. When you move up in the ranks and get more fighting experience under your belt, that tends to happen. Some of it's Tide style-" he nodded in acknowledgement, having recognized a few movements reminiscent of the style during the fight "-some of it's the Strong Fist style, but most of it's the Dancing Leaves style, with a few tricks here and there I don't even know where they came from."

"Those last two, are they Konoha-specific styles?" Obito-nii only knew some of the Academy standard- Oaken Defense- and very little of the Uchiha's Interceptor style by sight. He'd watched Obito-nii's lessons with Shuurei when he first started working on his taijutsu.

"Yeah. The Strong Fist style was actually invented by a taijutsu genius just a few years ago, a little green weirdo by the name of Maito Gai, and he offered to teach it to me since it suits my strengths pretty well. I'm more familiar with Dancing Leaves though." She stretched her arms with a pop, then turned her head to look at him, remembering something. "That throw early in, you botched that pretty badly. You need to work on throwing bigger opponents."

"I can throw bigger opponents!" he protested, thinking of the hours and hours he spent practicing with stone training dummies. "You're just heavier than I expected, so I was caught by surprise!"

Kushina suddenly began to emit a threatening aura and his mouth snapped closed with an audible click as he realized what he just said. _"Did you just call me fat?"_ she asked, venomously sweet, Killing Intent pouring off of her in waves. Oh, crap.

"I- uh- I didn't mean it that way!" he yelped, springing to his feet with an agility he was surprised he was still able to manage. "It's just- I usually train with Shuurei and I'm used to her, so fighting with you-"

To his dumbfounded horror, her hair actually began to lift into the air and whirl about her head like nine violent tails, and he'd swear up, down, and sideways that her malevolent aura was actually visible. "Are you saying Shuurei's skinnier than me? Are you saying that compared to her, I'm fat? Is _that_ what you're saying?"

Slowly he began to back away, his hands raised defensively. "No, I didn't mean it like-!"

She cracked her knuckles- loudly- and immediately he shut up, swallowing nervously as she made a clone and sent it into the house to stand by Naruto's playpen, smirking evilly. "I suggest you start running."

With a terrified scream he ran, yelling mangled apologies behind him as the… the _she-demon_ chased after him. Sadly enough, he was used to this by now from his hours running away from Kasumi the many times he'd accidentally insulted her in a similar manner.

Dashing around a corner and into Konoha proper, he leaped over a food cart to slow her down only for his terror to increase two-fold when she promptly _punched through it_ (behind him he heard the distressed cart owner mournfully wail, _"My cabbages!")_. As he forced himself to go even faster, the ringing laughter of several ninja passing overhead on the roofs ringing in his ears, the only thought in his head was: _"Why are girls so terrifying?!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, unfortunately, there's not much ACTIVELY happening right now other than fleshing some things out, revealing some background information, and building up some relationships. I'm still ABSURDLY happy with both the Tsumeito/Uzumaki history and the fight scene at the end, though.
> 
> I know that Kushina isn't QUITE as violent or crazy as most fanfic authors write her as, but in my personal opinion, even though she's plenty eccentric, Kushina is still an adult, still a jounin, and still a mother. She might be pretty open and honest with people for the most part and more volatile than most, but she HAS to be fairly responsible all the same. She's not just ramen and violence after all, she's a person, with all the complexity that entails. She's also just been through some pretty tough shit, and no one comes out of that unchanged.
> 
> Hope you liked it! The next chapter won't be coming out as quickly as this one did, unfortunately, but I'll certainly work on it as much as I can! Drop me a comment and tell me what you think.


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